Scammers on the move: Senior woman loses thousands due to false support call!

Scammers on the move: Senior woman loses thousands due to false support call!

A brazen fraud case occurred in St. Veit an der Glan on June 26, 2025, which once again shows the dangers associated with online banking and new fraud methods. A 73-year-old woman was the victim of a so-called “impersonation fraud,” in which the perpetrator posed as an employee of a software company. Loud 5min.at The senior received a call in which she was informed that her laptop had been hacked.

The fraudster's approach was particularly perfidious: a threatening-sounding warning message appeared on the woman's laptop, asking her to contact a "support team" immediately. Intimidated by the alarm tone, the woman dialed the telephone number provided. The perpetrator thereby gained unauthorized access to her laptop and smartphone. He claimed that the device was infected with a virus and tricked the senior into accepting her online banking app as being affected.

A momentous call

Fortunately, at the end of the conversation, the woman concerned had stopped the transactions in time. However, the fraudster first gained access to her online banking account and was able to confirm two transfers. Overall, she suffered damage in the low four-digit range.

An alarming trend: According to a study by tagesschau.de Up to 80 percent of fraud cases in online banking result in no compensation from banks. Consumer advocates and government supervisors are therefore calling for urgent measures to better protect customers. Authorities are concerned about the increasing number of such frauds, which are facilitated by the use of artificial intelligence and complex social engineering techniques.

Legal situation and consumer protection

Experts also criticize the implementation of the EU Payment Services Directive PSD2, which does not ensure sufficient security for consumers. According to PSD2, the bank is liable for an amount of 150 euros or more, unless the customer has acted with gross negligence. However, lawyer Nuriye Yildirim argues that in many cases, like that of the woman from St. Veit, there was no gross negligence. The adjustments to the liability regime could soon be reregulated in the new PSD3 and PSR directives, which could significantly strengthen consumer protection.

In the past, there have been several court rulings that required banks to reimburse part of the damages in similar fraud cases, even if the account holders were grossly negligent. An example from a ruling by the Darmstadt Regional Court shows that a bank was also held responsible for unauthorized payments of over 6,700 euros in such a case. These rulings could play an important role if the elderly lady's case ends up in court.

The incident in St. Veit an der Glan reminds us how important it is to be skeptical and to act cautiously when receiving unsolicited calls, because fraudsters are always quicker to have their finger on the pulse. Stay vigilant and find out about safe methods for handling bank data. You can find further tips for prevention here test.de, where important information on protecting yourself against fraudsters was collected.