81-Year-Old Fell Victim to Fake Police Officer in Vienna-Simmering

An immediate search for the suspected perpetrator was unsuccessful. ©APA/EVA MANHART (symbolic image)

Tuesday afternoon, an 81-year-old woman in Vienna-Simmering alerted the police after falling victim to a scammer.

A supposed police officer had called the woman and informed her that due to the many ATM explosions recently, the money in the bank was no longer safe. Since her assets were also at risk, the woman was advised to immediately withdraw the money from her accounts. A colleague in uniform would later collect the money for safe keeping.

The 81-year-old then took a taxi ordered by the caller to two bank branches and withdrew a total of 17,000.-€ from her accounts. Upon her return, the woman waited in her apartment for the supposed police officer, who contacted her shortly thereafter. The 81-year-old let him into her apartment and handed over the previously withdrawn money. However, when the woman became suspicious and wanted to demand the money back, the suspect fled in an unknown direction with the loot. A description of the suspect is said to refer to a man about 35 years old, approximately 1.80 m tall, who was wearing a dark blue uniform with "Police" written on it. An immediate search initiated after the emergency call for the alleged perpetrator was unsuccessful.