A gang of fraudsters who had made off with 1 million euros even resorted to using artificial intelligence to convince their victims of the plausibility of the trap they had set for them.
As announced by the Hellenic Police following the arrest of two members of the ring who served as “collectors,” the criminal organization used AI technology to clone the voices of relatives of their potential victims.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
According to the Greek Police, the scammers would first contact the potential victims by phone and convince them to take specific actions, mainly regarding matters supposedly related to the installation of fiber-optic cables.
Then, when the victim expressed doubts, the scammers would ask them to contact a relative or friend to put their mind at ease. At the same time, however, they would ask for—and obtain—the phone number of the person the unsuspecting victim would contact.
The next step in the “spider’s web” set up by the ring involved a phone call to that person under the pretense of being a representative of a mobile phone company.
During this call, they obtained a voice sample and, using an artificial intelligence tool, cloned its characteristics. In this way, they would eventually contact their original target and, by reproducing the cloned voice, “confirm” the instructions they had given earlier.
So far, the involvement of the organization’s members has been confirmed in at least six cases of fraud using a similar methodology.
The police investigation that led to the arrest of the two gang members in Nea Ionia just as they were picking up jewelry worth 30,000 euros revealed that the fraudsters’ activities had been underway since at least last July.
Charges were filed against the 23-year-old and the 25-year-old who were arrested for criminal organization, fraud, aggravated theft (both completed and attempted), committed in concert and on a continuing basis, resulting in gains of over 120,000 euros; the case also involves four other individuals, three of whom have been identified.
The Hellenic Police announcement
The Organized Crime Division dismantled a criminal organization whose members committed fraud and aggravated theft, using Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and posing as employees of the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (DEDDIE), mobile phone companies, fiber-optic providers, and others.
The criminal organization’s activities were brought to an end following an operation by police officers from the Financial Crimes Division in the Nea Ionia area of Attica, during which -2- members of the organization, just as they had removed valuables worth -30,000- euros from a victim’s home.
The suspects are a 23-year-old and a 25-year-old, who served as the “collectors” for the criminal group. The case file, which was compiled on charges of criminal organization, fraud, aggravated thefts—both completed and attempted—committed in concert and on a continuing basis, with proceeds exceeding 120,000 euros, also includes -4- individuals, of whom -3- have been identified.
This was preceded by the analysis of intelligence data, which revealed the existence of a criminal group, active since at least early July 2026, which had a distinct internal structure, with members who had assumed leadership roles, as well as “telephone operators” and “collectors.”
In particular, it emerged that the role of the “callers” was to identify potential victims by contacting them by phone, with the aim of defrauding them and obtaining illegal financial gain, while at the same time they were responsible for procuring and activating telephone lines and devices used for their illegal activities.
A distinctive feature of the criminal organization’s operations was the use of artificial intelligence tools (A.I.) to clone the voice of a relative of the potential victim, with the aim of making the pretext more convincing and dispelling any doubts the victim might have.
More specifically, to achieve their goal initially, they would contact the potential victims by phone and persuade them to take specific actions, which they would instruct them to do, primarily regarding matters related to fiber-optic installation.
If the victim expressed doubts or reservations, they would ask them to contact a relative or other close acquaintance, ostensibly to confirm the necessity of the procedure and to reassure them.
Next, they would ask the victim for that person’s phone number and then contact them, pretending, as the case may be, to represent a mobile phone service provider.
During the brief conversation, they obtained a voice sample and, using an artificial intelligence tool, cloned its characteristics.
They then reestablished contact with the original victim and, by using cloning technology to reproduce the voice of the victim’s relative or acquaintance, they created the impression that this person was actually on the other end of the line and was confirming what they had previously suggested to the victim.
In this way, they reinforced the victims’ belief that the phone call was genuine, breaking down the victim’s resistance and increasing the likelihood that they would comply with their instructions.
To date, the involvement of members of the organization has been confirmed in an additional -5- cases involving similar methods, while a vehicle theft committed on September 14, 2026—which the organization’s members were using as their “operational vehicle”—was also solved.
In total, the investigations led to the discovery and seizure of one public-use vehicle and -2- mobile phones.
It is estimated that the illegal financial gain from the criminal organization’s activities exceeds 1,000,000 euros.
The arrested individuals were brought before the competent prosecutor and referred to the investigating judge, while the investigation continues to ascertain the full extent of the illegal activity.
Source: Protothema.gr
