A 45-year-old man from Burgenland committed a particularly treacherous scam involving seasonal workers. The man promised the 224 victims that he would take over their payroll tax assessment, but he himself pocketed a total of 280,000 euros in repayments from the tax authorities. With another scam he earned 220,000 euros.
The scam was reported in January 2022 by a 24-year-old Hungarian seasonal worker to the Saalfelden (Pinzgau/Salzburg) police. The 45-year-old from Burgenland is said to have had the repayment on behalf of the seasonal worker transferred to his own account via the portal of the tax authorities “FinanzOnline” after the payroll tax adjustment had taken place. As the investigations have shown, the Hungarian was one of a total of 224 victims.
The 45-year-old is said to have removed the scam between March 2020 and April 2022, causing damage of around 280,000 euros. As an insurance agent, the man was given the ability to create cell phone signatures for the unsuspecting victims. The suspected fraudster probably gained access to the online portal of the Tax and Customs Administration on behalf of the guest workers.
Previously, he spied on his victims on social media platforms. The man had deposited the money into his account. He later also paid several people €500 to allow him access to their accounts.
Burgenländer had previously defrauded friends and acquaintances
In addition, between 2005 and 2022, the Burgenlander would have defrauded about 16 other people for a total of about 220,000 euros. First he got loans through a fake financial emergency, later he promised profitable investments in cryptocurrencies. The Burgenlander gambled away most of the fraudulently obtained money through gambling and investments in cryptocurrencies.
The man gave his gambling addiction as a motive. The people who voluntarily gave him access to their accounts were reported for money laundering.
Source: Krone
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