Hundreds of thousands of euros swindled with Assinger and Weichselbraun: Police warn again about celebrity scams

The previous week, several Upper Austrians had already reported that they had fallen for fraudsters and had lost a total of several hundred thousand euros as a result. This week it happened to 2 women in Upper Austria – they transferred a total of around 400,000 euros that they will never see again. Experts suspect that the number of unreported cases is likely to be much higher because not every case is reported.

• More on the subject: Armin Assinger used as a decoy: Internet fraudster ripped off pensioners in Lower Austria

Currently, says Gerald Sakoparnig, head of the fraud department at the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), the number of victims who fell for the celebrity scam is increasing: well-known names such as Armin Assinger, Günther Jauch and Mirjam Weichselbraun are appearing in online advertisements and the Lulling people into a false sense of security. Even Didi Mateschitz (although he died in October 2022) is still pulling.

• Also read: Upper Austrian (67) deprived of his savings: Police warn of investment fraudsters

A low-threshold entry, the elimination of conservative forms of savings with high interest rates, the need for a good investment opportunity and overall too much information – expert Sakoparnig sees all of these as reasons why online fraudsters continue to find victims.

Police tips:

• Remain suspicious – please don’t believe everything you see, hear and read on the internet
• Discuss the topic and the problem with your family, acquaintances and friends – let’s warn and protect each other
• Don’t be tempted by the promised winnings; at least get a second opinion, in person
• Please consult the financial market supervisory authority: www.fma.gv.at
• Do not allow strangers to remotely access your computer online
• In the event of damage, contact your bank immediately and then file a police report

More on the subject:

• Expert explains: These are the most common scams (OÖNplus)
• Criminal investigators: Why fraud on the Internet is always in season (OÖNplus)
• The tricks of internet fraudsters (OÖNplus)

info By clicking on the icon you can add the keyword to your topics.

info
By clicking on the icon you open your “my topics” page. They have of 15 keywords saved and would have to remove keywords.

info By clicking on the icon you can remove the keyword from your topics.

Add the topic to your topics.