Phishing: Private individual, Austria 2025
The 83-year-old woman received a text message with a fake link from a supposed tax authority asking for personal data.
- Incident · 11.2025 · Carinthia (district of Villach-Land), Austria
- Evidence: confirmed by an authority
- Phishing
- Account takeover
- Deception (social engineering)
As of
What happened
In a subsequent call, the perpetrators got her to make several transfers and installed remote access software on her computer. This gave them direct access to her online banking.
- Affected
- Private individual (anonymous)
- Industry
- Private individual
- Loss
- several thousand euros
- Business interruption
- unknown
- Ransom demanded / paid
- unknown / unknown
- Data affected
- true
- Bankruptcy
- no
- Entry point
- Text message with a fake link from a supposed tax authority, followed by a call and remote access software
What would cyber insurance have paid?
That depends on the terms. Whether those affected were insured: unknown.
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Misuse of card, Twint, e-banking
Strangers pay with your money
Mostly limited 25 of 29 private products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Remove malware, restore data and devices
Mostly no information 15 of 29 private products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
Overview based on public policy terms, as of 06.11.2026. Only your policy and its general terms and conditions (GTC) are binding. No confirmation of cover.
What we can learn
Authorities and banks never ask for data or remote access by text message; do not open links in such messages.
Sources
- «Finanzbehörde»: Unbekannte knacken Online-Banking einer Seniorin (opens in a new window) 5 Minuten (5min.at) · 2025-11-06
«Insgesamt entstand ein finanzieller Schaden in der Höhe von mehreren tausend Euro»