Greek authorities are investigating a major phone scam in which criminals impersonated police officers and convinced victims to hand over valuables worth more than €520,000.

The incident took place in Chalandri, a suburb of Athens, where scammers called a man claiming to be police investigating a crime. Under pressure, the victim surrendered cash and jewelry to the impostors, believing he was helping an official investigation.

Elderly woman duped into leaving jewelry in a trash bin

In another case, an elderly woman was tricked into handing over her savings — €5,000 in cash, ten gold coins, and jewelry — after receiving a call from someone pretending to be a police officer.

Following the fraudster’s instructions, she left the valuables in a garbage bin, where the criminals later retrieved them.

Younger victims also targeted online

Authorities say scammers are no longer targeting only the elderly.
A 29-year-old woman named Katerina fell victim to an elaborate online fraud after posting an ad to sell her car.

A man posing as a car dealer from the western Greek city of Patras called her, claiming the payment would be made “through a company system.” Trusting him, she shared her online banking username — though not her password.

Within three minutes, her account was emptied of more than €30,000. “I tried to log in, but my account was frozen. They had already taken everything,” she said.

Explosive rise in cyber and phone fraud

According to European data, in 2022 there were 2.65 fraudulent transactions per 100,000 banking operations. By 2024, that number had more than doubled to 5.57, marking a 110% increase in just two years.

In Greece, the Cyber Crime Unit’s hotline received 89,343 calls in 2024, averaging about 240 calls per day, mostly related to online or phone scams.

Police urge vigilance

Greek authorities are urging citizens to remain vigilant and never share personal or banking details over the phone or online with unknown callers.

Police emphasize that no officer or government official will ever request cash, jewelry, or personal information to “assist an investigation.”