"False accident" fraud scheme in Bucharest: three suspects detained, money and nine phones confiscated
Four people are accused of defrauding drivers in Bucharest using the "false accident" method, demanding thousands of lei for allegedly damaged mobile phones. Three suspects have been detained and placed under judicial control.
Gang simulating accidents to extort money from drivers dismantled in Bucharest
Three people have been detained and placed under judicial control after, according to Digi24, four suspects allegedly defrauded multiple drivers in Bucharest using the "false accident" scheme — a method whereby victims were convinced they had hit pedestrians or damaged their mobile phones, after which they were requested to pay sums ranging between 4,000 and 10,000 lei.
First report: 7,000 lei paid on the spot
On 17 August, a woman reported to officers at Sector 18 Police Station that, whilst driving on Samuil Vulcan street in Sector 5, a man driving another vehicle had followed her and told her that she had hit a woman at the intersection with Mihail Sebastian street.
The victim returned to the indicated location, where a woman reproached her, saying that when making a left turn, she had endangered her life. The woman claimed that to avoid this, her phone had fallen onto the road and been run over by the car. The declared value of the device was 8,000 lei, but the woman accepted 7,000 lei as compensation. The victim paid the sum on the spot.
Second case, the same day: driver refused at the last moment
Also on 17 August, another man reported a similar situation. According to the Bucharest Police, whilst making a right turn from Novaci street to Dorneasca street, he was approached by a man who told him that he had hit a woman on a pedestrian crossing.
At the scene, the woman claimed her leg was hurting and that her phone had been destroyed by the car. She requested 4,000 lei out of a total claimed amount of 8,000 lei. The victim initially agreed, but realised this could be a fraud and suggested to the woman that they go together to the police station. The woman refused and immediately left the area.
Other victims identified during investigations
Investigations extended across multiple units of the Bucharest Police revealed other similar cases. On 20 August, on Dr. Ion Athanasiu street, a man was approached by two suspects — a man and a woman — who told him that he had hit the woman on a pedestrian crossing and destroyed her phone. They demanded 8,000 lei.
On 19 August, on 1 Decembrie 1918 Boulevard, another driver encountered an identical scheme, with the requested sum this time amounting to 10,000 lei. The Traffic Police also recorded two other reports concerning similar situations.
Four suspects identified, three caught
As a result of investigative and operational activities, officers identified four people suspected of committing the offences: three men, aged 32, 35 and 44, and a woman aged 44.
On 1 September 2026, the woman was spotted at an airport, with suspicions that she intended to leave Romania. The men aged 35 and 44 were apprehended in Sectors 3 and 5. The 32-year-old man remains wanted, with investigations for his capture continuing.
Searches: money, currency and nine phones seized
Officers conducted three searches, as a result of which evidence and sums of money were seized: 12,300 lei, 650 euros and 300 dollars, along with nine mobile phones.
The three detained people were taken to Sector 18 Police Station headquarters for continued investigation. They were detained for 24 hours on charges of fraud and attempted fraud, with the measure of judicial control subsequently being applied to them.
Source: Digi24