Accountant arrested over €900,000 in company transfers

A 26-year-old accountant has been arrested on suspicion of making more than 670 unauthorised transfers from a company in the Gmünd district of the Waldviertel, causing losses of about €900,000, ORF reported.

The company initially suspected a cyberattack after finding significant shortfalls in its accounts. But checks by external IT forensic experts, the company’s internal controlling department and police found no malicious software in its systems.

Investigators from Lower Austria’s State Criminal Police Office allege that the accountant misused his authority over company funds to send money to fictitious recipients and accounts between February 7, 2025, and September 14, 2026.

During questioning, the suspect declined to make a statement. At the order of the Krems an der Donau public prosecutor’s office, he was taken to the local correctional facility.