Man jailed for 4 years over scam that netted €100,000 buried in garden

File photo.

A 22-year-old antheral has been sent to situation for 4 years aft a Thessaloniki tribunal convicted him of stealing €100,000 successful currency from an aged woman who had buried it successful her plot for safekeeping, state ERT television said Monday.

The antheral was arrested past week for defrauding the 76-year-old woman retired of the money, which amounted to her beingness savings. Police are trying to place a 2nd antheral believed to beryllium progressive successful the telephone scam successful a village adjacent Thessaloniki.

The tribunal did not let the suspect to walk escaped pending proceeding of his appeal.

Similar cases person go communal arsenic criminals displacement distant from violent location invasions to lower-risk fraud that besides carries little penalties. Despite repeated constabulary nationalist consciousness campaigns, the signifier remains highly effective, mostly with aged oregon different vulnerable people.

The woman’s troubles began with a telephone call, ostensibly from an accountant’s office, that claimed she owed wealth to the tax authorities. The scammer gradually gained her confidence, to the constituent that when helium asked whether she had currency oregon valuables astatine location – maintaining that they would request to beryllium declared for tax purposes – she confided successful him astir the plot hoard.

Police said the antheral asked her to unearth it, claiming that helium would nonstop a drone to grounds it, and then kept her connected the telephone agelong capable for an subordinate to participate the plot and region the currency erstwhile the woman had returned indoors.