ID Austria fraud in Salzburg: Four suspects identified after €55,000 loss
A 63-year-old woman from Salzburg transferred €55,000 to fraudsters after being requested via SMS to renew her ID Austria. Four suspects from Armenia, Syria, Slovakia and Austria have been identified.
Four men charged in ID Austria fraud against Salzburg woman
A 63-year-old woman from Salzburg lost a total of €55,000 in November 2025 through a multi-stage fraud, according to sn.at. The perpetrators exploited ongoing ID Austria certificate renewals as a pretext.
On 10 November 2025, the woman received an SMS requesting her to renew her ID Austria. She clicked on a link contained in the message and entered some of her data on a fake website – until the page suddenly became inaccessible. Two days later, an alleged bank employee contacted her by telephone. He claimed suspicious money transfers had been detected on her account and demanded confirmation of several TAN codes. To gain additional trust, the unknown caller also provided the name of the woman's actual bank advisor. The 63-year-old followed the instructions and transferred the money. Shortly afterwards, she filed a report with the police.
Following intensive investigations, the case has now been substantially clarified according to police. The bank secured €2,600 and transferred this amount back to the victim. Through obtained bank information, the money flows could be traced: the majority of the transferred sum had been withdrawn from the recipient accounts within a few hours. Two masked money withdrawals were identified using surveillance footage. The holders of four Austrian recipient accounts were identified and questioned.
The four suspects are a 38-year-old Armenian, a 27-year-old Slovak, a 22-year-old Austrian and a 19-year-old Syrian. All four are being charged whilst at liberty.
The Federal Criminal Police Office has been warning since April of fraud attempts in connection with ID Austria. Certificates are expiring for approximately 300,000 users nationwide – renewal is possible exclusively via the official app.
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)