Due to the fact, that several victims of this obvious fraud are not German native speakers, we will also provide information in English. Find the Newsletter of this proceeding below. With the Click on the Button "Registrieren" you join the proceeding of COBIN claims (please use the Google-Translator to translate the form in the language you want). COBIN claims is a non-profit union, which initiates class action-like proceedings via lawyers in mass damage cases. You can join the proceeding for free to get information only or you tell us within the registration process, that you are interested in services of lawyers as described in the newsletter below. 

Zuletzt gab es wiederholt Beschwerden von Anlegern, die berichteten, dass sich im Netz „Investmentclubs“ breit gemacht haben, die zum Teil mit auffallend hohen Gewinn-Versprechungen Investments in Bitcoins oder andere Krypto-Währungen anbieten.

COBIN claims sammelt Betroffene und führt Basis-Recherchen durch, um als Verein hier Licht ins Dunkel zu bringen. Der Verein wird gemäß den gewonnenen Ergebnissen den Fall Anwälten oder der Kripo vorlegen bzw. Betroffene dabei unterstützen, hier schnell Kontakt zu finden und ihre Rechte durchzusetzen.

Es ist nicht auszuschließen, dass es hier zu Fällen gewerbsmäßigen Betrugs gekommen ist!

Wann sollten Sie an der Aktion teilnehmen?

1. Wenn Sie in ein derartiges Modell investiert haben und
   a.) die Befürchtung haben, dass Sie das Investierte nicht mehr zurück erhalten oder
   b.) sie bereits Investitionen nicht oder nur teilweise zurück erhalten haben, versprochene Gewinne nicht ausbezahlt wurden oder der Anbieter die Zahlungen komplett eingestellt hat.
2. Wenn Sie in Österreich oder in einem anderen EU-Land ansässig sind.
3. Wenn Sie wissen, dass der Investment-Anbieter in Österreich seinen Sitz hat, die maßgeblichen Aktivitäten von Österreich ausgingen oder einer der handelnden Personen sich in Österreich aufhält.

In einem Fall ist etwa bekannt, dass sich Geschädigte über mehrere Länder in der EU verteilt befinden. In diesem Fall um einen offenbar von Ostösterreich aus operierenden „Investment-Club“ mit dem Namen eines sehr bekannten italienischen Malers haben sich die Beiratsmitglieder Rechtsanwalt Dr. Wolfgang Haslinger und Mag. Severin Hammer bereit erklärt, Geschädigte in einem etwaigen Strafverfahren zu vergünstigten Konditionen (300 €/Geschädigten) zu vertreten. Sollten Sie eine rechtliche Vertretung wüschen, können Sie auch das mit Ihrer Registrierung bekannt geben. Sollten Sie nur um weitere Informationen (gratis) zu beziehen an der Aktion teilnehmen wollen, registrieren Sie sich bitte ebenfalls.

Sollten weitere dubios wirkende „Investment“-Modelle bekannt werden, werden entsprechende Schritte – die bis hin zu Strafanzeigen reichen können – ergriffen.

Für aus dem Ausland stammende Geschädigte ist es laut Auskunft der Anwälte im Regelfall zunächst NICHT notwendig, extra nach Wien anzureisen: Die Erledigung der Anwälte erfolge Internet-basiert, so die Anwälte.

Falls Sie bereits anwaltlich vertreten sind oder selbst Ihre Rechte durchsetzen, teilen Sie uns mit, wie es Ihnen ergangen ist. Austausch unter Geschädigten oder auch die Anregung eines Austauschs auf fachlicher/anwaltlicher Ebene schadet nie!

 

As the attorneys said, for foreign vicitims of ovious bitcoin-fraud it is in the most cases NOT necessary to travel to Austria. You can participate in the proceeding of COBIN claims via internet, the lawyers told the union, that they can handle their cases without having victims coming to vienna. Should there be hearings at courts in the future, there should be a way, that most of the investors not have to come to Viennna.  

 

NEWSLETTER

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19.02.2021

Dear participants of the proceeding „bitcoin fraud”

Topic: general information - police investigations

Hinweis: Da zahlreiche Teilnehmer ua aus Slowenien und Ungarn stammen, werden die folgenden Informationen auf Englisch erteilt.

We as a consumer- and small investors union are happy to inform you, that we have made progress in the bitcoin case “DaVinci”. This Week, our Lawyers - and also member of our union - Mag. Severin Hammer and Dr. Wolfgang Haslinger received – after a delay due to limited capacities at the public prosecutor’s office related to COVID 19 – the court documents. The criminal investigations conducted by the Vienna criminal police under the supervision of the public prosecutor. The proceedings are directed against Mr. Koller and other unknown suspects.

As a non profit association we offered the police full cooperation in the interest of the victims, who joined the COBIN campaign related to “bit coin fraud/DaVinci. Due to your support and determination to follow up your claims, the police is now in the position to have a clear picture that there is a purported damage exceeding several million Euros.

As an association, we also facilitated the intervention of two law firms and negotiated a lump sum fee of 300 €, offered by the attorneys at law Mag. Severin Hammer and Dr. Wolfgang Haslinger. The work of the law firms will include the legal representation in the criminal case, which is the first step that you – hopefully – get back the money/bitcoins, you invested. It is intended to file for the seizure of 600 bitocin which were purportedly owned by Mr. Koller.

We recommend to all participants, to make use of this offer and it has proven helpful, to have the legal representation of a lawyer sooner or later in such a case. Many participants already did their “check-in” at the law firms, if you did not and are interested in please send us an E-Mail: info@cobinclaims.at   

A detailed information on the criminal investigations against Mr. Koller and other suspects will be offered to those participants, who are clients of the law firms based on the fact, that those participants legally joined as a victim the criminal proceeding. A publication or disclosure to others could constitute a violation of the criminal procedure act. In Austria, is not allowed to spread information out of official proceedings to people, who are officially not entitled to get this information. Therefore, information will be given only by attorneys to their clients.

 

28.12.2020:

Dear participants of the proceeding „bitcoin fraud”

Topic: general information

Due to the fact, that most of the participants of this proceedings come from Slovenia, we will send information in English, because most of the participants presumably do not speak German, but all may speak English (Sollten Sie mit Informationen in Englischer Sprache Schwierigkeiten haben, bitte um Mitteilung!) 

Until now, a few dozens of alleged victims of bitcoin fraud joined the proceeding of the independent and non-profit-association COBIN claims. Most of the victims thus far come from Slovenia, most of them wish to get help from an attorney at law. All claims are regarding the “da Vinci” so called “investment club”.

Attorney Dr. Haslinger and Mag. Hammer learned due to the help of one participant (thank you!), that there are already criminal investigations running in Vienna against suspects. They wrote to the Austrian prosecution authority, to get more information regarding the “da Vinci”-case.

This means, that the first step according to the information of the lawyers will be, that all victims of this alleged fraud are offered the possibility to file civil claims at the Public Prosecutor’s Office Vienna.

The before mentioned firms offer the following scope of work according to the information of the attorneys:

• Investigation into the facts of the case;
• Drafting of a writ to the Public Prosecutor’s Office Vienna ascertaining the facts, offering evidence and filing of individual civil claims in the criminal proceedings;
• Correspondence with participants;
• Continued monitoring of the criminal case by the means of repeated applications for access to the file;
• Reports on the progress of the investigation;
• Filing an appeal in the event of a suspension of the proceedings.

Dr. Haslinger and Mag. Hammer agreed, to provide these services for a lump sum of EUR 300.— including VAT for all investors, who join the proceeding at COBIN claims. There are no hidden costs, once more it has to be mentioned, that COBIN claims is a non-profit-organization, which organizes support from lawyers and offers support for organizing class actions if applicable.

The offices of the lawyers will contact all Investors, who said in their registration, that they want to get services from an Austrian attorney at law. To become an official client of one of the attorneys, they told us to communicate, that you have to

• sign the power of attorney of the law firms, so that the attorney is allowed to represent officially a victim in the proceedings of the Austrian criminal court and
• pay the (reduced) lump sum price for the work of the Austrian lawyer (EUR 300.--).
• The clients will be assigned alternating one by one to an attorney.

The next step will be, that the lawyers analyze the information obtained from the criminal proceeding itself. The association COBIN claims highly recommends, that victims join the criminal proceeding for two reasons, as the lawyers inform:

1. In (in reality rare) cases, victims get a compensation of their damages out of the criminal proceeding directly (it’s better to have this option rather than not to have it); however reimbursement of victims is an essential reason to mitigate a possible punishment,
2. With a joinder, there is no limitation period for claims of victims as long as the criminal proceeding is active and directed against individuals and companies which may be subject to a civil claim at a later stage. This is beneficial as there are no court fees related to ascertaining a civil claim in a criminal procedure.

Regarding the advice of Dr. Haslinger and Mag. Hammer, it would be one approach in this case, that victims first join the criminal investigation, where important information is obtained, and according to the results of the criminal proceedings, the lawyers can start (class) actions against the suspects, if there is a realistic chance of obtaining an actual reward. Further the firms will try to commence civil cases in parallel mainly funded by legal aid insurers in order to track the path of the money, if payment orders are not met.

We will keep you informed, as soon as we will get new information.

We wish a pleasant start in 2021, stay healthy!

Mag. Oliver Jaindl
Head of COBIN claims