The Greek police have uncovered a criminal group for telephone fraud of elderly citizens in Thessaloniki and the Halkidiki peninsula, operating from Bulgaria, reports the Greek agency ANA-MPA, quoted by BTA.
The network was uncovered by the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime in Northern Greece.
The identity of a 48-year-old foreign citizen, whose nationality is not specified and who worked with accomplices who have not yet been identified, has been established.
The victims of the fraud were elderly people. They were deceived over the phone that their loved one had been involved in a traffic accident and were asked for money for treatment or to avoid criminal prosecution.
It has been established that the criminal network operated from Bulgaria in the period from September 2021 to August 2023. According to the police, the financial damage to the Greek citizens amounted to over 600 thousand euros.
The contact with the potential victims took place over the phone. They were deceived that their loved one had suffered an accident and needed money. Another person was also involved in the phone conversation, who presented himself as a relative of the victim and asked for help. Thus, the case was presented as particularly urgent. Once it was determined that the victim was willing to give the amount, another member of the criminal group was sent to collect the money.
So far, the group has been found to be involved in 14 cases of fraud for 611,345 euros, with attempts made to steal another 883,100 euros from senior citizens in Greece.