According to police, the illegal property benefit of a criminal organization that carried out telephone scams in areas of Thessaloniki and Halkidiki amounts to 611,345. The action of the organisation was detected by the Sub-Directorate for the Fight against Organised Crime of Northern Greece.
A 48-year-old foreigner was identified in the case, who, as it turned out, participated with unknown accomplices in fraud against elderly people, residents of Thessaloniki and Halkidiki, under the pretext of a road accident of a close relative and the demand for payment of money, either because of the immediate need for hospitalization, or to avoid criminal proceedings.
In particular, it emerged that the accused, together with her accomplices, had joined a criminal organization based in Bulgaria, while their action was placed at least from September 2021 to August 2023, with the aim of committing fraud against the elderly.
The leader of the criminal organization would call the potential victim and, using dramatic tones, pretend to be a doctor or a police officer. He would then inform that a relative of the victim had been rushed to a hospital in serious condition or was at fault for a fatal car accident, demanding payment of money to cover hospital expenses, or to avoid criminal proceedings or imprisonment.
In this way, they succeeded in breaking down resistance and extracting information from the victim, such as the name and gender of the relative.
To add plausibility to their actions, other members of the criminal group, male or female, depending on the gender of the victim’s relative, would intervene in the conversation, pretending to be the relative and pleading for help, giving the impression of the immediate development of the incident.
When the victims were persuaded, another member who was at the place where the call was made, activated accomplices, who undertook the collection of money or valuables, either from the entrance of the house or from another predetermined point.
So far, the involvement of the above criminal group in a total of 41 cases of fraud, including one attempted fraud, against elderly people in areas of Thessaloniki and Halkidiki.
It is noted that the illegal property benefit gained by members of the organization is estimated at 611,345 euros, while they attempted to remove an additional 883,100 euros.
