Thessaloniki: three Roma detained for scheme with fake “ΔΕΔΔΗΕ employees”

In Thessaloniki three gypsies were detained who, according to the police, posed as employees ΔΕΔΔΗΕ and tried to deceive a 38-year-old man.

In Thessaloniki three Roma men were detained who, according to the police, tried to deceive a 38-year-old man by posing as employees Διαχειριστής Ελληνικού Δικτύου Διανομής Ηλεκτρικής Ενέργειας (Greek Electricity Distribution Network Operator, ΔΕΔΔΗΕ). The potential victim realized in time that this was a scam and immediately contacted ΕΛ.ΑΣ.

According to Pronewsthree suspects contacted a 38-year-old man and attempted to convince him to hand over money and valuables to them. To do this, according to investigators, they introduced themselves as employees ΔΕΔΔΗΕ – a familiar scheme designed to build trust in “services” and fear of sudden inspections.

However, this time the script did not go according to plan. The man suspected deception and reported what was happening to the police. After that ΕΛ.ΑΣ. organized an operation and caught the suspects red-handed in the village of the municipality Langadaswhere they came to receive money.

Detention red-handed

Detained 27, 33 And 43 year. Police also seized a vehicle that, according to investigators, was used by the suspects.

The investigation revealed that the three men may be linked to two more similar fraud cases – one in Thessaloniki and one in Katerini. That is, we are probably not talking about improvisation for one day, but about a repeating pattern.

Scheme with fake employees ΔΕΔΔΗΕ in Greece has long become one of the favorite tools of scammers. Under the guise of an inspection, an accident, a debt, a technical problem or an urgent procedure, criminals try to gain the trust of the victim and force him to hand over money, jewelry or other valuables.

Why does this scheme work?

Such scams are based on a simple psychological mechanism: a person hears the name of a familiar government or communal structure, gets scared of the possible consequences and begins to act faster than he can think. This is exactly what scammers are counting on. We thank the human nervous system for another gift to the criminal world.

Elderly people, single citizens and those who are afraid of problems with electricity, fines or inspections are especially vulnerable. But the case in Langadase shows the opposite example: if you don’t panic and immediately call the police, scammers can be caught on the spot.

Editorial comment

In this story, it is important to call a spade a spade: if a person introduces himself as an employee ΔΕΔΔΗΕto lure out money and valuables, this is not a “trick” or a “petty scam”, but an organized fraud built on fear and trust in official services.

The ethnic origin of the detainees is indicated in the Greek reports, so it is present in the material as a fact of the specific case. But the problem is broader than the origins of the three suspects: we are talking about a criminal pattern that has been repeated for years in different parts of Greece and hits people who are often not ready for such pressure.

The only good news here is the 38-year-old man’s reaction. He didn’t “investigate things on the spot,” didn’t hand over the money, and didn’t let the scammers go further. He called ΕΛ.ΑΣ.and this is what made it possible to catch the suspects red-handed. Sometimes common sense still wins. A rare guest, he must be appreciated.

Source link