Currently scammers are active in the Austrian financial market, who are making unsolicited telephone calls to people, in which they claim to be employees of the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) and are requesting them to divulge their account details, apparently in order to protect the person they are calling. They explain this by saying that their account is at risk of being blocked, and which can only be avoided by joining a “protection program” or a “victims group”. Sometimes, payments are also demanded. Another reason that is also used is that the person has erroneously entered into a very high payment obligation over the Internet, and that the FMA is required to block the account to protect them until a compromise solution can be found. Sometimes the telephone number of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) is used, which appears on the display (+43 (0)1 40 420). The FMA will never request account details over the telephone or by e-mail from private individuals and generally does not take official measures over the telephone.
Attention! All such approaches are attempted fraud. The FMA requests anyone confronted with such kinds of calls to contact the FMA immediately (Tel. +43 (0)1 24959 – 5555 or by e-mail: [email protected]), and under no circumstances to make any payment or to reveal account details.
Journalists may address further enquiries to:
Klaus Grubelnik (FMA Media Spokesperson)
+43/(0)1/24959-6006
+43/(0)676/882 49 516