Greece is moving to strengthen penalties for organised telephone scams targeting elderly people, as authorities warn of the growing activity of criminal networks that have been stealing large sums of money and valuables from unsuspecting victims.
Minister for Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis has described the phenomenon as an “epidemic” and announced changes to the Criminal Code aimed at tackling the problem. Under the proposed measures, organised telephone scams could be treated as a serious criminal offence, with harsher penalties when elderly people are deliberately targeted.
A specialised police unit is also being established within the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime. Its role will be to identify and dismantle criminal networks involved in telephone fraud. Authorities are also planning closer cooperation with banks and electricity providers, which are frequently used as a pretext by scammers to gain the trust of their victims.
Common Scam Tactics
Scammers typically rely on fear, pressure and a sense of urgency. In many cases, they telephone elderly people claiming that their son, daughter or another relative has been involved in a serious accident and urgently needs money.
Others impersonate police officers, doctors, lawyers, accountants or electricity company employees. Using various false stories, they persuade victims to hand over cash, jewellery or other valuables.
In one recent case in western Greece, an elderly woman was reportedly persuaded to hand over €76,500 to people posing as electricity company employees. The scammers claimed there was a dangerous electrical problem at her home and instructed her to leave the money at the entrance of her apartment building.
In another case, a criminal organisation allegedly stole at least €1.6 million over a period of just three months. Investigators believe the group used information about potential victims obtained from old telephone directories.
Greek authorities are increasingly treating these scams as a form of organized crime, given the sophisticated methods used by the networks and the scale of the financial losses.
Authorities are urging the public, particularly older people and their families, to remain extremely cautious. The key advice is simple: never hand over money, jewellery or personal information following an unexpected telephone call without independently verifying the caller’s identity and the circumstances described.
Source:https://greekreporter.com/2026/09/03/greece-elderly-phone-scams/
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