Financial police arrest construction workers with fake IDs

2023-09-04 14:44:51

Financial police succeed in cracking down on identity fraud; Four construction workers arrested in Upper Austria

Vienna (OTS) – A construction site in Grein, Upper Austria, was inspected during a routine check by the financial police at the end of August. Forged documents of the workers of an iron-laying company were found, which led to the arrest of the workers concerned and their handover to the aliens’ police. The men were also registered with fake identities.

During their inspection, the financial police contacted the construction manager to obtain information about the companies currently working on the construction site. When the four workers and the foreman were checked on site, only two had ID with them. Three others had photos of their ID cards on their cell phones, but only from the front. Officials became suspicious when they noticed a lack of security features and poor print quality on the documents presented. A more detailed check revealed that four of the ID cards were fake. The officer in charge notified the police.

Finance Minister Magnus Brunner emphasized the importance of the work of the financial police: “Our financial police remain vigilant. The discovery of forged documents underscores the crucial role it plays in upholding the rule of law and economic security. We will continue to take rigorous action against any form of fraud and illegality. The message is clear: anyone who breaks the law will be caught.”

Four Macedonians registered with false identities
The four arrested workers were taken to the Grein police station, where they were processed using the BMI’s software. It turned out that two of the workers were already known to the police.

No discrepancies were found with the foreman, who was able to continue his work. In the case of a worker with a Croatian ID card, the personal data such as name and date of birth were correct, but not the nationality. The two workers on record had Slovenian and Slovakian identity cards. The fourth worker had his original documents wrapped in a handkerchief hidden in his purse. All four workers come from Macedonia and were taken in by the employer at a gas station in Linz.

The Ministry of Finance has filed complaints under the Aliens Employment Act. In addition, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) is informed, since all four workers have a social security number and registration, but under a false identity. The immigration police are now in charge of further investigations.