Ten young men convicted as money-launderers for telephone fraudsters
A Krems magistrates' court imposed prison sentences on ten men who had made their bank accounts available for an international telephone fraud scheme.
Ten young men convicted as money-launderers for telephone fraudsters
A panel at the regional court in Krems convicted ten young adults aged between 19 and 22 of involvement in an extensive telephone fraud scheme. The defendants from the districts of Krems and Horn served as so-called "money mules" for a criminal group.
The convicted men had allowed themselves to be recruited by unknown individuals and, in exchange for approximately 1000 euros in cash, handed over their bank details, debit cards and PIN numbers. The fraudsters used these details to gain the trust of their callers. On the telephone, they posed as employees of financial institutions and deceived senior citizens and other victims by claiming that unauthorised transfers were occurring on their accounts. To "save" the supposed money, the people called were supposed to reveal their online banking access details.
Once the fraudsters gained access to the victims' accounts, they transferred amounts to the accounts of the ten helpers. From there, the money disappeared rapidly to Malta and into digital currency repositories. When the affected banks noticed the irregularities, the young men claimed their cards had been stolen.
According to the court, the damage amounts to more than 200,000 euros, which was obtained between autumn and the end of 2025.
The main defendant, who had recruited the accomplices, must serve four years in prison. In addition, an existing suspended sentence of two years was revoked for him. The other nine convicted individuals received suspended prison sentences ranging from five months to two years. All those who confessed stated they did not know that their assistance would lead to criminal activity of such magnitude.
The true leaders of the gang have so far remained unidentified and are at large. The verdicts can still be appealed.
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)