An email with the subject “Important Information” is currently landing in various inboxes. The sender calls himself “police” and uses a GMail address.

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Screenshot email from the “police”

There is no salutation in the email itself, nor is there a signature that would indicate an official authority. Only the text “READ PDF” is present here.

Suspicious? Yes. This is a fake email.

The alleged crimes

The attached PDF file has the logo of the Austrian police, and the country's flag is also shown cropped in the upper area.

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Screenshot PDF

“Article 227-23 – Penal Code


(In force since April 23, 2021) I am the Police Director in collaboration with the European Police Office (EUROPOL) to combat crime related to information and communication technologies, which centralizes online seizures.

We are contacting you after a data seizure through cyber infiltration, you are the subject of several prosecutions for image possession, child pornography - cyber pornography - pedo crime.

Your IP address was targeted as part of an internal investigation conducted discreetly by the Censorship Compliance Unit of your country's Ministry of Interior. We have several items recorded that provide evidence of your violations.

You are invited to make your voice heard by email by writing to us explaining the reasons for the charges and the review to consider sanctions. This must be done within a strict deadline of 72 hours. After this period, we are obliged to forward our report to the public prosecutor responsible for your case in order to prepare an arrest warrant against you. Your case will also be forwarded to the media for public dissemination in order to prevent your return and also to deter potential candidates from this practice. After completing the said process, you will be registered as a sex offender.”

Content of the PDF

Should I reply to this email?

​​​​​​No, absolutely not. This fake email does not come from the police, but from criminals. Once you respond, you confirm to the criminals that your email address exists. As a result, you can expect to be asked for a large amount of money.

Therefore, it is best to move the email unread to the Junk Mail folder.

Emails with similar content have been circulating for a long time. An official authority is always presented as the sender, such as EUROPOL , Interpol, Berlin Police , Federal Police , etc. - These are always fake emails with accusations under threat of (imprisonment) punishment.

How do I know it's a scam?

  • Email addresses: Look closely at the sender's email address. The police don't use GMail addresses!
  • Missing salutation: If there is no salutation and you are only addressed with a “Hello” or “Dear Madam, Dear Sir”, you can assume that the letter was sent en masse to countless people.
  • No specific description of the crime: You are accused of a crime. But what exactly it is is not explained - i.e. when, what, where was consumed or shared.
  • Time pressure and numerous threats: Writing creates pressure to respond immediately. If you don't respond within 72 hours, a warrant will allegedly be issued for your arrest. “Your case” will also be passed on to the media and you will be publicly exposed.
  • Punishment without a hearing: You will be punished without a hearing or personal testimony. This is not an official procedure!

Last, but not least: In the Austrian Criminal Code, Paragraph 227 reads “Preparation for the forgery of public documents or certification marks” – almost funny when you consider that it is stated here that the email comes from the police.

No official authority sends such documents!


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )