Greek police have dismantled three criminal organisations accused of carrying out fraud and theft schemes targeting elderly residents in Athens, Thessaloniki and Agrinio, with suspects allegedly stealing more than €410,000 from victims.
Officers from the Agrinio Subdivision for Crime Investigation and Prosecution carried out an operation in areas of Attica, arresting four alleged members of the criminal networks and identifying 18 additional suspects.
According to police, the suspects posed as employees of DEDDIE (Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator) and used false claims, including warnings of a supposed explosion risk caused by electrical leaks, to frighten elderly victims into handing over money and valuables.
Investigators said the three related criminal groups had operated since September 2025, targeting victims in Agrinio, Athens and Thessaloniki.
The suspects allegedly used their homes in Attica and Argolis as call centres, where they contacted elderly residents by telephone while pretending to represent DEDDIE.
They allegedly convinced victims that an immediate electrical danger threatened their homes and pressured them to collect cash and jewellery for supposed safety reasons.
To make their claims appear legitimate, the suspects also used video calls through communication applications, displaying the electricity company’s logo as their profile image.
After gaining the victims’ trust, alleged accomplices acting as “collectors” travelled to their homes. Police said the groups used two main methods to obtain the valuables.
In some cases, victims placed money and jewellery inside containers or wrapped them in aluminium foil before leaving them outside their homes, where the suspects collected them without direct contact.
In other cases, when victims could not leave their homes, the suspects allegedly entered the properties while a telephone accomplice kept the elderly person distracted. The accomplices then searched the premises and removed cash and valuables.
Police said the suspects discarded mobile phones after each fraud or theft attempt in order to make identification more difficult.
During searches of suspects’ homes, officers seized numerous mobile phones, SIM cards, laptops and digital storage devices, including USB drives.
The arrested individuals will appear before the Prosecutor of Misdemeanours of Aitoloakarnania.
Additional Cases in Patras and Ilia
In a separate case in Patras, police arrested three alleged members of a gang accused of stealing from an elderly resident using a similar electricity scam.
Authorities said the suspects pretended by telephone to be electricity company employees and claimed there was a fire risk caused by an electrical leak. They allegedly persuaded the elderly victim to leave a bag outside his apartment containing €16,120 in cash and jewellery.
During the attempted theft, the victim noticed two suspects, who allegedly pushed the door with force and fled.
The elderly resident immediately contacted police, who located the suspects’ vehicle. Officers later found the three individuals hiding in a densely vegetated farming area in the Souli district of Patras and arrested them.
A search of their vehicle uncovered jewellery and other items, while police later found the bag containing the stolen cash hidden beneath an internal staircase in the apartment building.
Meanwhile, in Ilia, police identified three alleged members of another criminal organisation accused of targeting elderly residents.
Authorities said the suspects posed as accountants or electricity company employees and operated in Pyrgos, Lampeti and Katsikari.
According to police, the suspects contacted potential victims mainly during afternoon hours while deliberately keeping their telephone lines occupied, preventing them from contacting relatives for assistance.
They allegedly persuaded elderly residents to place money and jewellery in bags and leave them outside their homes.
Police estimate the group obtained approximately €39,000 in cash and jewellery and gold items worth around €23,000.
The case file against the suspects will be submitted to the Prosecutor of First Instance in Ilia.