Damages in the Millions Due to Phishing: Campaign Raises Awareness About Fraud Scheme

Representatives from the Ministry of the Interior and numerous companies have launched the second edition of the joint campaign "10 Days Against Phishing" at the Federal Criminal Police Office. Phishing affects all age groups and causes losses in the millions every year, explained Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Security, on Friday afternoon. Last year alone, it caused total damages of around 20 million euros.

Phishing means the harvesting of sensitive data such as passwords, bank, or credit card information through fake websites, emails, SMS, or phone calls. Often, targeted social engineering follows - victims are led to financial actions through skillful deception. Whether with the help of artificial intelligence, deceptively real fake websites, or professionally forged identities, criminals are increasingly able to deceive even experienced internet users. Classic warning signs such as spelling mistakes or poor layouts are increasingly disappearing - the traps are often only recognizable at second glance, it was said on Friday.

Awareness in the Campaign "Phishing Impossible"

"Cybercrime is one of the greatest challenges of our time," said Andreas Holzer, Director of the Federal Criminal Police Office. He and Ruf, however, also pointed to a first-time decline in internet crime in the police crime statistics in many years, with a decrease of 6.8 percent in 2024 compared to 2023. He also spoke of around 8,600 phishing cases in 2024 alone and total damages of around 20 million euros in the previous year - "trend rising". Holzer emphasized that currently, scams involving supposed package delivery SMS and fake emails or SMS in the name of the Ministry of Finance are particularly noticeable. Overall, the range of phenomena is diverse. "Criminals do whatever is currently most promising," said Holzer.

This collaboration will now be intensified. The focus is on ten particularly widespread forms of phishing fraud, with one scam being highlighted each day. David Ostah, Managing Director of PSA Payment Services Austria GmbH, explained: "With the continuation of our awareness campaign 'Phishing Impossible', we are deliberately focusing on information instead of deterrence."

Post CEO: "Use Only Official Channels"

These statements were underscored by numerous representatives from the business sector. For Austria's banks, IT and cyber security have "the highest priority," said Franz Rudorfer, Managing Director of the Federal Division of Banking and Insurance in the Chamber of Commerce. Awareness and basic knowledge about current traps are a "decisive protection against internet fraud," added Bernhard Jungwirth, Managing Director of the Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications. Natascha Kantauer-Gansch, Board Member and CCO of A1 Telekom Austria AG, also pointed to internal company initiatives in this context. "With the A1 Senior Academy, we have been supporting the 60 plus generation in learning digital skills and acting confidently online for over 13 years."

The Director General and CEO of Österreichische Post AG, Walter Oblin, appealed on Friday to use the Post's online services "exclusively through official channels - namely the Post App and post.at". "In case of doubt, it is always worth checking the tracking number," said Oblin.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.