An elderly woman from Vienna loses 245,000 euros in a scam titled "Your daughter is in the hospital"
A 75-year-old woman from Vienna was the victim of a cruel scam on Friday afternoon. According to Austrian police, the woman received a disturbing phone call from someone claiming to be a doctor. The caller told her that her daughter had been rushed to the hospital and needed a life-saving medication worth 200,000 euros.
The woman, who felt panic and fear for her daughter, believed the story without hesitation. At the time, she was in Upper Austria, but she immediately drove to Salzburg-Mühlen, where she was asked to meet the alleged hospital representative.
At the agreed location, the victim handed over a collection of gold coins worth about 245,000 euros. After receiving the gold, the scammers immediately disappeared, leaving the woman unaware that she had fallen victim to a sophisticated scam.
Later, when she tried to contact her daughter, she discovered that the story was completely fabricated. She immediately reported it to the police, in a state of shock and deep sorrow.
Authorities have launched an investigation into a complex fraud scheme and warned citizens about similar calls, emphasizing that any legitimate doctor or hospital will never ask for cash or gold in exchange for emergency treatment.