Online scammers cheat two Tyrolean women out of five-figure sums
Sunday 1st November 2026 on 15:30 in
Austria
Two women in Tyrol lost five-figure sums to online fraudsters in separate scams, police said on Sunday, according to ORF. One paid to keep in contact with a man posing as an actor; the other was defrauded while trying to sell clothes online.
The 61-year-old from Pflach in the Reutte district had exchanged messages with the supposed actor since late January. He repeatedly asked her to transfer money to maintain contact, and she sent him a total in the high five figures in several instalments.
The 58-year-old from Zirl in the Innsbruck-Land district was contacted on Saturday while trying to sell clothing through an online platform. After discussing the sale via a messaging service, she uploaded a video of the clothes through a link sent by the fraudsters. Police said the link was used to obtain her data.
She later received several bank authentication requests for transfers and approved them, believing there had been an error by the bank. She ultimately lost a sum in the mid-five figures.