Con artists in the home

“False” fundraising: 82-year-old woman as victim

A Styrian woman was robbed in assisted living of all places.

(Bild: stocl,adobe.com - pixel-shot.com (Leonid Yastremskiy))

An 82-year-old woman from Trieben was the victim of a scam on Wednesday. Unknown persons stole a large amount of cash. The police warn against alleged fundraising campaigns and other "house calls".

At around 5.30 p.m., two women managed to gain access to the apartment of the 82-year-old woman in assisted living under the pretext of a fundraising campaign. While they distracted the resident in the kitchen-living room with a conversation, another suspect is believed to have entered the apartment unnoticed and searched for cash. When the senior citizen became suspicious of the situation, she asked the two women to leave the apartment. She was unable to say where the suspected accomplice was at the time.

Cash stolen
After the three people had left, the 82-year-old noticed that cash had been stolen from her bedroom. According to the pensioner, it was a five-digit euro amount. The suspects were two women and a corpulent man. The latter was wearing white trousers. All three spoke with a foreign accent. So far, there is no information about a getaway vehicle. A manhunt has so far been unsuccessful.

Caution required
The police advise caution when strangers suddenly appear unannounced at the front door. Trick thieves often pretend to be police officers, electricity meter readers, chimney sweeps or other tradesmen. They first try to gain the trust of their future victims in a friendly and helpful manner in order to then gain access to the home. The criminals are often unscrupulous and work in pairs or small groups. "Therefore, never let strangers into your apartment or house. Gas, electricity and heating meter readers as well as other tradesmen are usually announced in writing in good time," warns the Styrian Provincial Police Directorate on this occasion.