Florina: Arrest of 26-year-old collector for telephone fraud ring – 4 accomplices sought
Police in Florina arrested a 26-year-old collector for a telephone fraud ring as he attempted to collect money and jewellery from a 56-year-old woman.
Arrest of telephone fraud ring collector in Florina
Police from the Crime Investigation and Detection Department in Florina arrested a 26-year-old "collector" for a telephone fraud ring as he attempted to collect jewellery worth €1,000 and cash of €3,000 from a 56-year-old resident of the city. According to ERT, four other accomplices – three men and one woman – are being sought for identification.
The deception method
An unknown man was telephoning unsuspecting citizens, posing as an accountant. Under the pretext of mandatory registration of money and jewellery – allegedly to avoid a fine from the tax authority – he asked them to hand over cash and valuables from their homes to a "partner" of his.
In this particular case, the unknown man called the 56-year-old woman's landline in Florina and with the same scenario asked her to gather whatever money and jewellery she had in her home. The woman realised the attempted fraud and immediately notified the police. The Crime Investigation Department organised an operation on site to locate the person who would come to collect the items.
The arrest and the accomplices' escape
Later, the 26-year-old arrived in a car outside the 56-year-old woman's home. Two other individuals were in the vehicle, whose details have not yet been identified. The 26-year-old moved towards the entrance of the house to collect the money and jewellery, where he was arrested by police officers. The two accomplices who remained in the car noticed the arrest, accelerated and fled, performing dangerous manoeuvres in an unknown direction.
Additional victims emerge from preliminary investigation
During the preliminary investigation it emerged that a female accomplice of the 26-year-old had called two other residents of Florina, posing as an accountant. In the case of an 87-year-old woman the attempt failed, but she managed to convince a 91-year-old woman to gather jewellery with a total value of approximately €10,000, which the 26-year-old himself collected with his two accomplices by visiting her home.
During the arrest, a mobile telephone found in the possession of the 26-year-old was seized.
Investigation continues
The Crime Investigation and Detection Department in Florina is continuing investigations to identify the four unknown accomplices of the arrested man. In parallel, their involvement in other similar criminal acts is being examined, as well as the search for possible additional victims.
Source: ERT