Fraud involving a police officer posing as an economist has been exposed, as he and his accomplice defrauded citizens of over 70,000 euros.

The police officer, arrested on Friday (17.11) by the Internal Affairs Unit of the Greek Security Corps, along with a private accomplice, has been suspended by the Headquarters of ELAS (Elliniki Astynomia).

He faces charges of being a member of a criminal organisation, committing fraud by conspiracy and consecutively, and breaching duty by consecutively and forgery.

The two suspects targeted victims on Facebook, using profiles to attract interested individuals who could fill in a contact form.

They would then call potential victims, posing as consultants for the out-of-court debt settlement mechanism. After convincing them to make an advance payment, they would neither initiate the process nor return the payment, breaking agreements under various pretexts.

The 34-year-old police officer presented himself to potential clients as an economist lawyer representing a well-known foreign company, even using a different surname to avoid identification.

According to ELAS, he portrayed himself as an economist to extort money from citizens, claiming he could include them in the out-of-court debt settlement mechanism.

As stated by the Hellenic Police, “using misleading details of a large foreign company, the defendants attracted interested customers nationwide, claiming to act as consultants for joining the out-of-court debt settlement mechanism.”

The police officer, concealing his real identity, posed as an economist-lawyer even during his official duties, making phone calls to clients.

Providing further details on the defendant’s activities, the Hellenic Police revealed, “to justify the high fee he demanded, he claimed that the co-defendant’s company provided ‘premium’ services, obtaining significant amounts of money. He even requested victims’ taxisnet codes, though unnecessary for the procedure. He was paid a percentage per advance payment made by each client, with his total monthly income reaching around €3,000.”

The Hellenic Police also announced that, during searches at homes, workplaces, and the possessions of the arrested, items seized included mobile phones, 32,250 euros, a forged police identity card, computers, handwritten notes, and an unidentified vehicle.