October 18, 2026

Athens News

News in English from Greece

A network of false accountants was busted in Loutraki: 386 scams and attempts to deceive


PLoutraki police uncovered a criminal group whose members, according to security forces, posed as accountants or relatives of victims and deceived citizens throughout Greece.

A criminal file has been formed in the case against 11 people. They are accused of participation in a criminal organization, fraud, forgery of documents, illegal access to data and legalization of proceeds from crime. The case file also includes unknown accomplices.

According to police, the group operated with 2024 to the middle 2025. The investigation links her to 32 completed scams And 354 fraud attempts in different parts of the country. The total illegal benefit is estimated to exceed 76 thousand euros.

The scheme was simple, but working. The group members created phone connections using fake data and then used these numbers to call potential victims. In some cases they introduced themselves accountantsin others – by relatives or trusted representatives, after which they lured money out under various pretexts.

Such scams rely not on the genius of the criminals, but on the trust of people and on the old trick: call, scare, create urgency and not let the person think. In this sense, the “accountant” on the other end of the line has long become as dangerous a character as a “bank employee” or a “relative in trouble.” Telephone theater of the absurd, only the victims pay for the tickets.

Of particular importance in this case is using fake data to make phone calls. This allowed group members to cover their tracks, change numbers, and continue calling even after individual complaints. It is precisely this technical disguise that often makes telephone fraud widespread and elusive.

The investigation is ongoing. ΕΛ.ΑΣ. checks to see if the group had additional members and if it is linked to other fraud incidents. Considering the number of attempts to deceive, we may not be talking about a random company of small swindlers, but about a well-developed scheme.

Citizens should be especially careful: a real accountant, bank or government service does not urgently require you to transfer money over the phone and does not ask you to hand over codes, passwords or bank information. If the caller is hurried, intimidating and demands immediate action, this is almost always not help, but a trap.



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