Last year, the police recorded an increase of 9.4 percent in the reporting statistics for cybercrime. With 65,864 cases in 2023, the upward trend in cybercrime continues, as Andreas Holzer, Director of the Federal Criminal Police Office, and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (VP) emphasized on Thursday when presenting the cybercrime situation report.
Fraud offenses once once more made up the lion’s share of reports, it was said. Holzer referred to a new high of 34,069 reported cases and an increase of 23.3 percent compared to 2022 in the area of fraud. The police include, among other things, fraudulent calls or investment offers, false promises of profits as well as love scams, phishing attacks and fraudulent activities in online trading.
“Minimal effort – maximum success”
“The digital change has also affected the criminal world,” summarized Holzer. “The criminals have adapted and work under the motto: minimum effort – maximum success.” There is a digital component to almost every investigation.
The clearance rate last year was 31.6 percent. “It is our will to get better here,” said Karner. In this context, he once more mentioned the creation of the criminal assistance services (KAD) in the regions provided for in the recent criminal service reform. “The first 20 of them will start their service in June,” said the minister.
He also referred to the Cybercrime Competence Center (C4) of the Federal Criminal Police Office, which currently has 100 specialized employees and is expected to have a staff of 120 when it is fully expanded. The police also want to promote prevention. In this context, Karner mentioned cooperation with the Industrial Association and the Chamber of Commerce, the “Together Secure” project and the exchange with the three Austrian cyber trade academies (HAK) in Vienna, Tamsweg and Horn.
