Fraud help in Austria: take the first steps
A fake investment adviser, altered business invoice or message impersonating your bank can cause both financial loss and concern about your personal information. You do not need to understand the entire scheme before asking for help. This fraud help guide for Austria brings together practical steps and official resources so you can decide whom to contact and what information to prepare.
Start with the most immediate risk. If money or bank access is involved, contact your bank promptly. Keep the original messages and documents, and write down what happened while it is fresh in your mind. You can ask for help before you have gathered every piece of evidence.
Use the right reporting service
Contact your bank about payment risks and a police station about the suspected crime. Austria’s cybercrime reporting mailbox provides a separate route for information and tips, and sending an email there does not complete a criminal complaint. Start with Austria’s official guidance on reporting crime, then follow the relevant sections below for banking, identity protection and consumer complaints. Keep copies of reports and reference numbers so you can follow up consistently.
Check suspicious letters and payment requests
A real company name, familiar logo or official-looking document is not enough to establish authenticity. Read our guide to company letterhead security and impersonation scams, and learn how secure business communication can help organisations make correspondence easier to verify.
Contact the claimed sender through details you find independently before taking further action. Be cautious of unsolicited recovery offers that demand an advance payment or promise guaranteed results. For incidents involving another jurisdiction, visit the country-by-country Fraud Help directory.
1. Stop Further Losses
For urgent police assistance in Austria, call 133. The European emergency number 112 is also available.
Stop communicating with the suspected scammer and do not send more money. Contact your bank immediately if money, card details or account access are involved. Save messages, payment records and suspicious documents. If someone has remote access to your device, disconnect it from the internet and contact your bank from another trusted device.
2. Contact Your Bank or Payment Provider
Use your bank’s official app or a trusted telephone number. Explain whether a payment was unauthorised or you were deceived into approving it. Ask about securing cards and online banking, tracing transactions and any available recall or dispute process. Keep a written record of your notification and the bank’s response. Do not send money to a caller’s supposed “safe account”. Recovery depends on the circumstances and is not guaranteed.
If the incident involves an investment provider, preserve the website address, account manager’s details and transfer instructions. Consult the Financial Market Authority (FMA) guidance and warning information: https://www.fma.gv.at/finanzbetrueger-erkennen/
Report the suspected crime to police even if you also notify the FMA. Do not pay a supposed tax or release fee to withdraw money shown on an unverified trading platform.
3. Report the Fraud to Police
Report suspected fraud at a police station. The Austrian police contact page links to its station directory. Police recommend reporting crimes in person rather than by email so they can establish your identity and clarify the facts. Do not assume that an online theft service accepts every fraud case.
Prepare a short timeline, payment records, recipient account details, original messages, website addresses and copies of suspicious documents. Explain how the contact began and what money or information you shared. Keep the complaint reference and any instructions for providing additional evidence.
Tell police about any threats, continuing access to your accounts or imminent payment. Ask how to supply further evidence and follow up using your reference number.
4. Report Cybercrime and Online Fraud
If you suspect cybercrime and need information or want to provide a tip, the Bundeskriminalamt’s cybercrime reporting office can be contacted at [email protected]. This mailbox does not replace a formal criminal complaint. If you have suffered loss or have information about an offender, report the incident to a police station.
Preserve emails, chat records, fraudulent URLs, account details and transaction records. If criminals installed remote-access software, disconnect the affected device and use a trusted device for urgent account protection. Do not wait for an email response before contacting your bank.
5. Protect Your Identity
Notify every bank, lender, telecom provider or online platform where your identity was misused. Dispute unfamiliar accounts or debts in writing and keep the replies. Change compromised passwords from a trusted device, secure your email first and enable two-factor authentication. If an identity document is lost or stolen, contact its issuing authority about reporting, blocking or replacement.
Report suspected criminal identity misuse to police and identify the affected contracts or accounts. If an Austrian passport, identity card or digital identity has been compromised, use the issuing authority’s official process to secure or replace it. Do not ignore an unfamiliar collection letter; dispute the underlying claim in writing and seek advice promptly.
6. Protect Your Credit
KSV1870 offers a free personal-data access response under Article 15 GDPR, called Auskunft nach Art 15 DSGVO. This is distinct from its paid InfoPass products. Start with the provider’s explanation and contact route: https://www.ksv.at/unternehmen/ksv-einfacher-sprache
Check for unfamiliar records and ask KSV1870 and the relevant lender or reporting organisation to investigate inaccurate information. Requesting access does not freeze credit. A response from one provider does not cover every possible account or identity misuse.
7. Consumer-Protection Resources
Arbeiterkammer provides consumer information on scams and unfair business practices: https://arbeiterkammer.at/beratung/konsument/AchtungFalle/index.html
For individual assistance, contact the relevant regional consumer advice service and ask about eligibility. Keep your contract, payment records and written complaint to the trader. For financial investment fraud, consult the FMA’s guidance and contact routes. These services are separate from the police complaint and your bank’s payment dispute process.
8. Employment and Immigration Fraud
Verify the employer through independently sourced contact details. Keep the job advertisement, offer letter, recruiter messages and payment requests. Report fraudulent adverts to the hosting platform. If you paid money or shared identity documents, contact your bank and police and follow the identity-protection steps above. For immigration claims, confirm the procedure and official fees with the responsible authority or consulate; a professional-looking letter does not prove that it is genuine.
Do not allow a supposed employer to use your personal account to receive and forward client payments. If you already transferred money for a recruiter, tell your bank and police exactly what happened and retain the instructions you received.
Official Contacts and Telephone Numbers
Police emergency: 133.
European emergency number: 112.
Police contacts and station directory: https://www.polizei.gv.at/alle/kontakt.html
Cybercrime information and tips: [email protected]
Financial Market Authority fraud guidance: https://www.fma.gv.at/finanzbetrueger-erkennen/
Arbeiterkammer consumer guidance: https://arbeiterkammer.at/beratung/konsument/AchtungFalle/index.html
Report the Fraud
Austrian police for criminal complaints; Bundeskriminalamt cybercrime reporting office for information and tips
Official Sources
- Austrian Police: emergency numbers and reporting guidance
- Bundeskriminalamt: how to report
- Bundeskriminalamt: internet crime
- Bundeskriminalamt: phishing and reporting distinction
- FMA: financial fraud guidance
- FMA: recognising financial scammers
- KSV1870: free personal data access
- Arbeiterkammer: scams and consumer protection
Received a suspicious business document?
Check whether a document issued through VerifiableLetter is authentic.
Important: This guide provides general information, not legal, financial or emergency advice. Procedures and contact details can change. Confirm requirements with the relevant authority. Reporting does not guarantee investigation, reimbursement or recovery.