Fake policeman

Fraudster probably looked up Hotzenplotz the robber

Olli Dittrich plays Chief Constable Dimpfelmoser in the film version of The Robber Hotzenplotz - now some fraudster is calling in Upper Austria as a fake policeman in the role of Chief Constable

(Bild: © 2022 Studiocanal GmbH)

The fraudster who is currently posing as a policeman in Upper Austria, especially in Steyr, and is trying to defraud unsuspecting citizens has probably been watching too many fairy tales. He seems to be particularly fond of the robber Hotzenplotz, because the crook is pretending to be a "chief constable" - which may exist in fairy tales, but not in Upper Austria.

Apparently, a "collector" was positioned in Steyr so that he could quickly collect money from victims if he was successful. Because on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, there were dozens of calls from one or more fake police officers in Steyr - between 12:34 p.m. and 1:15 p.m., a handful of potential victims contacted the Steyr-Stadtplatz police station and described that they had been called by a "senior constable".

Perpetrator spoke High German
He spoke in High German, the call was anonymous, but most of the callers hung up immediately and dialed the real police emergency number. The investigators therefore do not know what scam the fraudster was trying to pull. For example, that a relative had caused an accident and they wanted to pay bail. Or that a burglar was on the loose nearby and that the savings should be taken to safety and ideally given to an officer who happened to be nearby.

Investigators assume that the number of unreported cases is high. This is because most of those affected simply hang up and do not report the incident to the "real" police. No damage is currently known.

"Hang up immediately"
The "real" police assume that the "chief constable" will soon be calling somewhere else again: "Victims of calls should under no circumstances allow themselves to be coerced or persuaded into handing over money by the sometimes theatrical performances of the fraudsters. If there are any discrepancies, you should hang up and call the relevant police station yourself," the investigators urge.

Constables only exist in the army
Incidentally, in Austria there is only a senior constable in the army - it is a non-commissioned officer grade - and not in the police. The Swiss army also has a senior constable, as does the Swiss Guard in the Vatican and in the German judiciary as a senior constable. There is also the "Chief Constable Dimpfelmoser" in the police force in Hotzenplotz the Robber - but only in fairy tales.