The Vienna police have arrested a gang of Romanian fraudsters, suspected of defrauding 300 Austrian companies.

The Vienna police have apprehended a band of Austrian-Romanian fraudsters, suspected of defrauding over 300 Austrian companies, with a total estimated damage of 160,000 euros, starting from November 2023. The group, composed almost entirely of Romanians, rented vacation apartments and ordered goods that they later did not pay for.

These goods, which included alcoholic beverages, food, cosmetics, clothing, and energy products, were sold on a wholesale black market in Bucharest. The gang consisted of 10 men and one woman, aged between 19 and 50, most of whom held Romanian citizenship, with the exception of one person who was Austrian. The fraudsters used prepaid cards to create fake email addresses through which they ordered the products. It is estimated that the group is responsible for approximately 1,300 acts of fraud, and the police continue investigations to identify other possible victims.