Austrian Police Hunt 'Shaman Scam Artist' Amid Multimillion Euro Fraud

The Austrian authorities are pursuing "Mariana M," alleged to have misused her shaman persona to deceive individuals out of immense sums totaling over 10 million euros, prompting a European arrest warrant.

Austrian police have launched a major search for a woman identified only as "Mariana M," a 44-year-old citizen who allegedly posed as a shaman to swindle numerous victims across Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

Authorities have issued a European arrest warrant for Mariana, who also went by the name Amela. Their investigation revealed an extensive trove of cash, jewelry, and gold amounting to over 10 million euros (£8.3 million) meticulously stored at her residence in Mödling, situated near Vienna.

In connection with this case, her 29-year-old son has been apprehended and detained in the town of Wiener Neustadt. Police reports indicate Mariana's deceptive tactics included convincing one victim that a close family member had been cursed, forecasting their impending death. To allegedly break this curse, she insisted on exorbitant fees totaling 730,000 euros for various "cleansing rituals."

Once the victim had relinquished the payments in multiple installments, Mariana ceased all communications. In a bizarre turn of events, a subsequent phone call from another woman informed the victim that the so-called "shaman" had entered a critical coma due to the very rituals she had performed.

Franz Popp, the Director of Police in Lower Austria, emphasized the growing threat posed by such exploitative individuals, highlighting how desperate individuals often seeking answers can fall prey to these scammers claiming to wield supernatural powers.

The police are urging anyone else who may have been victimized by Mariana to come forward and reach out to the Lower Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation.