Two cases in Tyrol

Coincidence and clever employees thwarted fraud

Time and again, citizens fall into a fraud trap. In two cases in Tyrol, however, this was prevented.

(Bild: benjaminnolte - stock.adobe.com)

The police report serious scams - in which perpetrators trick their way into making a lot of money - on an almost daily basis. In Tyrol, this was prevented in two recent cases. One was a case of chance and the other was a case where a bank employee was smarter than the crooks. 

One case took place in the district of Kufstein. A transfer order fluttered into the mailbox of a drinks company's bank. It instructed the bank to transfer a five-digit euro amount to the account of a person called Alberto Soler Heredero. The document bore the company logo and the signature of the managing director.

Employee discovered discrepancies
A bank employee was nevertheless skeptical and took another close look at the transfer order. She discovered discrepancies and contacted the drinks company. And indeed: they knew nothing about the transfer order. Thanks to the bank employee, the company was held harmless. 

In shock, the wife wanted to pay
The second case occurred recently in Reutte. On Friday, a 45-year-old woman there received shocking news. She was told that her husband had had an accident abroad and had been arrested. The caller claimed to be an investigator and demanded more than 50,000 euros bail for the Tyrolean's release. 

The woman was prepared to pay, but only had just over 10,000 euros in her bank account. The alleged policeman was accommodating and accepted this sum. He gave the woman strict instructions not to reveal any details about the reason for the withdrawal at the bank. 

Lack of bus connections as a stroke of luck
In her shock, the Tyrolean woman followed all these instructions. However, the money was never handed over. Simply because the woman had no way of getting to the agreed handover location in Garmisch. A lack of bus connections and the absence of a car prevented a major scam.