Fake medical prescriptions in Vienna: A 72-year-old man and his son-in-law arrested
Vienna police uncovered a fraud case involving the forgery of medical prescriptions, in which a 72-year-old woman and her 30-year-old son-in-law were involved, following months of investigations into the use of fake prescriptions within the city.
Since January 2025, the Vienna Criminal Police Office (Landeskriminalamt Wien – Vienna Criminal Police Office), Eastern Branch, Drug Enforcement Division, has been investigating several cases of suspected prescription forgery. The case involved the use of fake prescriptions in several pharmacies with false and non-existent identities.
According to investigators, an unknown woman initially attempted to cash or cash counterfeit prescriptions at various pharmacies within the Vienna area. Thanks to close cooperation with the Vienna Chamber of Pharmacists (Wiener Apothekerkammer), authorities were able to identify the suspect, a 72-year-old Austrian citizen.
Additional investigations and a house search ordered by the Public Prosecutor's Office in Vienna (Staatsanwaltschaft Wien) led to the identification of the main suspect in the forgery operations. The woman's 30-year-old brother-in-law was temporarily detained during the search of his home in the Vienna-Ottakring area.
During the search operation, the police found a large number of counterfeit prescriptions and confiscated them. The 30-year-old man refused to make a statement before being released by order of the public prosecutor in Vienna. Official complaints were filed against both the 72-year-old woman and her son-in-law.