File photo.
A teenager has been arrested in the outskirts of Athens on suspicion of defrauding an elderly couple out of jewellery and gold coins worth thousands of euros using a common phone scam, authorities said Tuesday.
A police statement said the 19-year-old suspect was arrested Saturday in Zefyri, on the capital’s northwestern fringes. He allegedly phoned up the couple who live in the southern Athens district of Moschato, claimed to work for an electricity company and said their house supposedly had a wiring problem. Therefore, he argued, they should leave any jewellery or other valuables kept at home outdoors to avoid the risk of electrocution.
The couple fell for the ruse and left a package containing jewellery worth €5,000 and two British gold sovereigns, which the suspect allegedly grabbed and vanished.
Such scams are common, yet remain effective despite repeated police public awareness campaigns and dozens of arrests.