Two men sentenced over nearly €70,000 book scam

Two men have each been given 18-month suspended sentences in Korneuburg for commercially aggravated fraud after allegedly selling low-value books to victims for thousands of euros, ORF reported. The verdicts are not final.

The 58-year-old and 32-year-old defendants appeared in court for a second trial after Austria’s Supreme Court overturned the original verdict. Prosecutors said they persuaded two victims to buy and pay for inferior books, taking nearly 70,000 euros from them in total, according to the Korneuburg Regional Court.

The Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office warns that the scheme involving supposedly valuable old books is a sophisticated form of fraud. Sellers often claim that a collection would be worth significantly more than individual books, said Reinhard Nosofsky, head of the office’s department for fraud and economic crime. After a victim makes an initial payment, more books are repeatedly offered as a way to increase the collection’s value.

The books are often cheaply produced goods made abroad. Items worth less than 100 euros can be marketed as antique treasures for several thousand euros. The sellers are alleged to be fraudsters connected to a criminal group in the clan milieu.

Police uncovered a case in Vienna in March after a 94-year-old victim alerted the authorities. Investigators expect the actual number of cases to be considerably higher because many older victims do not report the fraud out of shame.

Nosofsky advised people who receive such offers to consult trusted relatives or friends and consider searching online to check whether the book even exists. Fraudsters often use psychological tactics, exploiting hopes that a collection will rise in value or fears that it will lose value. Initial contact is frequently made by telephone to establish trust through conversations about antiques and collectibles. During visits to homes or sales meetings, the books are presented and victims may be pressured to buy.