Austrian police have issued an urgent warning following four major fraud cases resulting in losses of nearly half a million euros. Victims were targeted by scammers posing as pilots, military doctors, and financial experts through various digital platforms.
A 65-year-old woman lost 237,000 euros to a fake military doctor, while a 74-year-old lost 173,000 euros to a YouTube scammer. Other victims include a woman defrauded of 77,000 euros by a fake pilot and a 27-year-old who lost 6,000 euros via Instagram.
The surge in cybercrime is significant, with reports rising from 1,045 in 2016 to 4,332 in 2025. Despite a 5.6 percent increase in reports over the last year, the clearance rate for these internet fraud cases in Styria remained at 31.9 percent in 2025.