Financial police strikes: Labubu shop in Vienna under suspicion!

Financial police strikes: Labubu shop in Vienna under suspicion!

In Vienna, the hype about the popular monster plush figures "Labubu" from China causes excitement. The pop-up store in the city center has been targeted by the financial police, which according to a note from the market office controlled. In this check, considerable violations of labor market law provisions were found. In particular, it was noticed that the employee was registered as marginalized but had no valid employment permit. Only a bizarre side effect on the plush figure - the fake variants, known as "Lafufus" - were also discovered that are suspected of being sold to the customers. [Kurier reports that ...] (https://kurier.at/chronik/wien/finanzpolizei-labubu-stor-wien-straf ads/403080434)

The financial situation of the store is particularly critical. According to the financial police, there is an enforceable tax deficit of almost 3,300 euros. In addition, around 5,000 euros have to be paid in terms of punishments due to several criminal complaints. In the future, the company will also face further financial difficulties, since up to 15,000 euros threaten additional financial sentences that are expected by ongoing tax investigations.

Sales and missing records

The management of the pop-up store was unable to present any working time records during the check, and the cash register was not reported via Finanzonline. Particularly explosive: The monthly turnover in August 2025 was an estimated 43,000 euros, which was not reported to the tax office. Such processes can be seen as a serious warning signal among experts, as they often indicate fraudulent machinations in online retail. ORF analyzes the situation…

The existence of such pop-up stores raises the question of how well control over international online trade and the associated tax obligations is guaranteed. The case is reminiscent of a judgment by the Federal Court of Justice, which dealt with sales tax evasion through international online trade. A seller used networks from mailbox companies and thus fraudulently surrounded the financial authorities. The idea of ​​making great profits with the sale of plush figures can quickly turn into legal difficulties. [You can find details about the verdict here ...] (https://www.ferner-sdorf.de/ Completed Tax Curded-im-onlineHandel/).

Conclusion

The financial police and the responsible finance minister Markus Marterbauer emphasize that tax fraud cannot be tolerated. After this inspection, not only the future of the company is on the brink, customers also have to ask whether they have really acquired real "Labubu" plush figures or whether they may have fallen into counterfeits. In times when online trading is booming, a particularly watchful supervision is required to protect consumers' trust.