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So far in 2023, fraudsters posing as police officers in Austria have looted almost 20 million euros. Nevertheless, special investigators are increasingly tracking down the perpetrators.
The phone rings. A police officer is on the line. He warns in a serious voice: There is a dangerous criminal hanging around in the neighborhood. They are already on his trail. But to be on the safe side, the person you are calling should put all the valuables they have in the apartment in a sack or bag in front of the door. In a few moments, a uniformed colleague would come by and take the money, the jewelry, the gold. Of course, only until the perpetrator is arrested. Afterwards, the valuables would of course be returned immediately.
Cases like these have occurred 1,572 times in Austria this year. Just as often, internationally perfectly organized gangs tried to take older people by surprise. This was successful in 290 cases. In this way, the fake police officers stole 19.4 million euros from their victims. They also cashed in with the so-called grandson or nephew trick. A close relative caused a fatal accident abroad and bail is now due. And the completely disturbed and shocked callers pay. The perpetrators had previously looked in the telephone book for first names that probably belonged to older people. Aurelia, Rosalia, Josefa or Franz for example. After all, older people are easier to put under pressure. They are also much more likely to have valuables at home than in modern households.
In 2021 the damage amount was seven million euros, in 2022 it was already 15 million. This year, as mentioned, another five million more. “The highest sum handed over in a single case was two million euros,” reports Karl Popper from the Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office. He is part of a 50-person intervention force that specializes in faux police officers. “In one case, the loot was handed over in a suitcase because there was so much.” The investigative work is already bearing fruit. Last year, 26 suspects were arrested, this year there were already 73. 65 house searches were carried out and 162 cell phones were seized and evaluated. The number of crimes has already decreased, emphasizes Manuel Scherscher, head of the economic crime department at the Federal Criminal Police Office. In 2022 there were almost 200 more than in the current year, namely 1,756.
As reported, international cooperation between the investigative groups recently led to a spectacular success. 27 people were arrested, four of them in Austria. A call center was dug up in Warsaw. Three women were arrested while they were still on the phone. 1,000 emergency services from Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland and Europol were deployed for two weeks. Real-time monitoring was key.
Reading messenger services such as Telegram or Whatsapp virtually live is a great help. “Austria is the only country in Europe where investigators are not yet allowed to do this,” Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) never tires of criticizing.
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