Eight new criminal justice services have now started working in key areas in this country. The emphasis is on IT forensics, crime scene work and prevention work.
An SMS with a callback number will appear on the mobile phone display. The cryptocurrency account had been hacked and for security reasons a transfer had to be made via an app, after which this was explained to the shocked caller over the phone. So urgent that the scared 27-year-old transferred his entire balance – a total of 11,400 dollars (about 10,800 euros) – to a supposedly safe wallet. From there, the fraudsters immediately transferred it to an unknown account.
Just a week earlier, a 19-year-old from Lower Austria had also fallen victim to cybercriminals. The young man was contacted by a so-called financial advisor after his Bitcoin account was allegedly illegally accessed. To be on the safe side, he transferred his balance of 6,000 dollars (about 5,700 euros) to another wallet. And here too the money disappeared immediately. The figures show that these are not isolated cases. In the past ten years, the number of cybercrime has increased fivefold: by 21 percent in 2023 alone.
For this reason, the police are also tightening things up: in the autumn of 2023, the plans for the reform of the criminal justice service were presented and in June 2024, 31 of the 38 criminal assistance departments (KAD) across Austria started their activities. The vast country is home to a total of eight of them.
Current fraud cases on the Internet
Such as those in Wieselburg or Krems, where four officers focus and specialize in the areas of crime scene work, cybercrime and prevention. By 2028 there should be eleven. The criminal justice assistance services should “bring to the regions” the “technical know-how” in the above-mentioned priority areas, as State Police Director Franz Popp emphasized last year.
Each of the eight departments is responsible for two to three districts in the region. The reform required 140 additional civil servants. After training by the specialists of the State Criminal Investigation Department, the KAD officers also receive the right equipment, such as special technical equipment or their own crime scene bus. “The quality of the research work will thus be further increased,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) during his visit to Wieselburg.
Train officers in cybercrime
They also want to continue to score points in the fight against the Internet mafia in this country: in addition to the new investigation agencies, a temporary cyber training center has been set up in Melk. In the future, every police officer will be trained to fight cybercrime. The auxiliary criminals also have access to new 24-hour support to ensure greater operational confidence. But the State Criminal Investigation Department is also stepping up its efforts with a department to combat organized crime.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
