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Police say phone fraud rings continue to operate using familiar tactics, despite repeated arrests and prosecutions, with suspects often returning to crime after release.<\/p>\n
Authorities describe a pattern in which offenders pose as accountants or power utility technicians, warning victims of supposed fines or electrical faults to gain trust and extract money and valuables.<\/p>\n
In a major case dismantled last November, more than 40 people were arrested, over 1,000 victims were identified nationwide and losses were estimated at \u20ac7.6 million. Several suspects had prior records, and at least four had faced earlier charges in similar cases between 2021 and 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile members of the organization have been arrested in the past and in some cases remanded in custody, instead of being deterred, they resume their activity upon release,\u201d police said in the case file. Officers say telephone fraud is attractive because it requires minimal physical presence compared with older theft methods.<\/p>\n
Investigators are increasingly targeting the groups\u2019 informal call centers, where leadership is believed to operate, though copycat schemes quickly emerge when methods prove profitable.<\/p>\n
In one recorded conversation, a senior member discussed delaying court proceedings and covering legal costs for arrested associates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will move the trial fast, we don\u2019t want it now. Let things cool down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Police have also warned of scams involving fake technicians who persuade victims to place valuables outside their homes.<\/p>\n
In March, a 72-year-old woman in Thessaloniki was tricked into doing so before neighbors intervened.<\/p>\n
Authorities say victims are often chosen at random from phone directories, while public awareness campaigns target older residents.<\/p>\n
Experts note scams increasingly draw on current events to appear credible, lowering the expertise needed to carry them out. This trend broadens the pool of offenders.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n