Fraudulent schemes reported in Germany and Austria

Two separate fraud incidents have been reported in Germany and Austria involving digital and real estate deception.

In Germany, the Higher Regional Court of Oldenburg addressed a case where a buyer lost approximately €17,000 during a used car purchase. The victim fell prey to a ‘Man-in-the-Middle’ attack, where attackers intercepted email communications and manipulated a PDF attachment to replace the seller's IBAN with their own. Because the dealership was not found to be at fault for insufficient security measures, the buyer may be required to pay the purchase price a second time to the seller.

In Austria, a 30-year-old woman is under investigation for attempted serious fraud in Southeast Styria. The suspect allegedly offered a property for sale on a digital platform at a price significantly below market value, claiming it was family-owned. A potential buyer discovered the property actually belonged to a company after verifying ownership records. The actual owners have filed a report following the discovery of the fraudulent advertisement.