Major fraud against prominent shipping magnate – jewels worth €1 million stolen
Fraudsters posing as electricity company technicians have stolen jewels worth one million euros from a prominent shipping magnate. The victim had visited the electricity company's office earlier, a fact that reinforced the perpetrators' credibility.
Major fraud against prominent shipping magnate – jewels worth €1 million stolen
Fraudsters posing as technicians from Greece's national electricity company DEH have managed to steal jewels worth more than one million euros from a prominent shipping magnate. The incident occurred in Greece and is one of numerous telephone frauds that have targeted unsuspecting citizens in recent months.
The fraud began on 22 June, when the 84-year-old woman visited a DEH office to settle an electricity account. A few hours later, she received a telephone call on her landline from individuals who claimed to be company employees. The perpetrators informed her that there was a risk of an explosion in her home and asked her to remove all the money, jewels and precious metals she possessed.
Convinced of the authenticity of the call, the woman gathered her most valuable items. Among them were rings worth €200,000, diamonds and heavy gold jewels that she had brought from England. One of the perpetrators arrived at her home, collected the items and disappeared.
According to Giorgos Kalliakmanis, honorary president of the Police Officers' Union for the Northern and Eastern Attica region, the fraudsters used the information that the victim had visited DEH earlier to strengthen their credibility. The fact that the call came to her home landline shortly after she returned from the company's office suggests that the victim may have been under surveillance.
The police are conducting an investigation to identify the perpetrators. The victim has drawn up a list of the stolen items to facilitate the investigation. The case falls within a wider criminal network of fraudsters who deceive elderly people by posing as employees of DEH and other public organisations.
Source: Google News CY — Crime (el)