Bank Employee in Vienna Saves Senior from Fraud Gang
A vigilant employee of a Viennese bank prevented a 90-year-old woman from losing thousands of euros again to criminals. Authorities arrested a 37-year-old man from Serbia.
Bank Employee in Vienna Saves Senior from Fraud Gang
On Thursday, an employee of a bank branch in Vienna's 18th district noticed that something was amiss with an elderly customer. The ninety-year-old woman wanted to withdraw a high five-figure sum in cash. When asked, she could not provide a coherent explanation for what she needed the money for.
The branch employee then informed the authorities. During the investigation, it emerged that the pensioner had previously received a telephone call in which she was pressured. The callers instructed her to visit several branches, withdraw roughly ten thousand euros each time, and hand over the notes in an envelope to a waiting courier.
At another branch in the 19th district, the victim had already handed over such a sum to an unknown person. Officers from the Krottenbachstraße inspection then surveilled the area. During this surveillance, a man caught their attention as he hurriedly left the bank building.
When checked, the 37-year-old provided no convincing explanation for his presence at the location. The Public Prosecutor's Office for Economic and Corruption Offences ordered his detention. The cash that had already been handed over was found with him and returned to the defrauded woman. The arrested man, who holds Serbian citizenship, according to authorities made no confession and remains in investigative custody.
Such telephone fraudsters regularly target elderly persons. They pretend that family members are in trouble or that burglars have set their sights on the victims' assets. Security authorities never demand the surrender of money or valuables for safe storage. When receiving suspicious calls, one should hang up immediately and dial the emergency number 133.
Source: Heute.at
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)