Germany Long prison sentences for million-dollar fraud on the internet

Two men in Rostock have been sentenced to seven years and nine months and five years and nine months in prison respectively after committing fraud on the internet.

From November 2019 to December 2021, the regional court found that they operated 30 fake stores on the internet and defrauded their customers of more than 4.3 million euros.

In the online stores, they offered goods at low prices in return for advance payment - from sporting goods to consumer electronics and DIY supplies. "However, they were neither willing nor able to deliver such products to customer orders," a court spokesperson said.

The two 41-year-old men were only interested in making money to finance their luxurious lifestyle.

The scam

According to the court, the fake stores only existed for a few days or weeks at a time. The two men - the main perpetrator is reportedly Italian, his accomplice German - managed to conceal their identity for a long period of time. They had used false or fictitious personal details.

According to the court, at least 10,679 people from Germany, Austria and Switzerland were taken in by the two. The victims generally suffered losses of a few hundred euros, but in some cases even several thousand euros. "The total economic damage caused to the victims amounts to more than 4.34 million euros," explained a court spokesperson.

Over 10,000 victims

The two men were convicted of commercial gang fraud. The verdict is not yet final. According to a court spokesperson, the fake store proceedings took 83 trial days. More than 200 witnesses were heard. On the 80th day, the defendants finally confessed.

According to the spokesperson, the court ordered the two convicts to confiscate assets worth around four million euros as well as the high-quality technical equipment they had used for their crimes.

SDA