Police have arrested two men in Greece after an elderly couple in Halkidiki were defrauded of 15,660 euros by a fake bank employee.
The scam took place on Friday, 30 October, in a village in the northern peninsula of Halkidiki, when the victims were persuaded that cash in their home would cease to be valid.
Officers from the Hellenic Police arrested two male suspects the following day, on Saturday, 31 October, and compiled a case file that also identifies two alleged accomplices.
How the Halkidiki phone scam worked
According to the police investigation, an accomplice phoned the elderly couple and pretended to work for a bank. He claimed that the cash stored in their residence would soon expire due to its age and said they needed to hand the money over to an associate to keep it valid.
The couple believed the caller and handed over 15,660 euros in cash to one of the arrested men, who arrived to collect the money.
The collector then escaped in a getaway car that had been rented by the second arrested suspect, where the two accomplices were waiting for him.
Cash and mobile phones seized by police
During a subsequent search of the home of a man who was inside the vehicle, police officers found and seized 1,000 euros. Officers also seized three mobile phones and 90 euros in cash found in the possession of the arrested suspects.
Investigators said inquiries are continuing to confirm details regarding their accomplice and to establish whether the group was involved in any other similar crimes in the region.
The two arrested men were escorted before the Public Prosecutor of the Court of First Instance of Halkidiki, who referred them to an investigating magistrate for formal questioning.
Currency fraud targeting older residents
Halkidiki is a regional unit in the Central Macedonia region of northern Greece, known for rural villages where older residents frequently maintain cash savings at home rather than in commercial bank branches.
Under European Union rules, euro banknotes do not lose their legal value or expire simply because of age. However, fraudsters across southern Europe frequently target elderly people by exploiting confusion over currency design updates and claiming older notes must be surrendered.
Under the Greek legal system, suspects referred to an investigating magistrate must give formal depositions before the magistrate and prosecutor decide whether to order pre-trial detention or impose bail conditions pending trial.
