227 citizens, who have given false and joke signals to the 112 telephone in the period October 2024 - October 2025, have been sanctioned by the Department of Administrative Penal Activities in the Directorate of the National 112 System - Ministry of Interior. The sanctions are imposed under the Law on the National Emergency Call System with a single European number 112.
Not a small part of the calls to 112 are related to false alerts.
A total of 227 people who made false or prank calls to the 112 emergency number between October 2024 and October 2025 have been sanctioned by the Administrative Penalties Unit at the National 112 System Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. The fines were issued under the National Emergency Call System Act.
A significant proportion of calls to 112 are related to false alerts.
"Good afternoon, 112" – this is how a conversation can begin with one of the hundreds of malicious or hoax calls, the kind that can cost a human life.
Iskra Velichkova, emergency doctor at the Varna Emergency Medical Centre:
"We were searching for a pregnant woman in labour with contractions every minute. When we arrived, there was nothing – a dark house, a dark street, no one answered the phone. Before that, we were looking for someone who had supposedly fallen from the Asparuhov bridge onto the tarmac below – police were searching, we were searching. We lost an hour."
As an experienced emergency doctor, Dr Velichkova has responded to dozens of false calls.
Iskra Velichkova, emergency doctor at the Varna Emergency Medical Centre:
"We drive at very high speed, risking the crew's lives – running red lights, carrying heavy equipment up staircases… And when you arrive and discover there is no patient at all, or that they are not unconscious as reported – it’s insulting, and it puts enormous strain on emergency teams."
The problem is just as serious in Sofia. Between 60% and 70% of calls there relate to non-emergency conditions.
Katya Sungarska, spokesperson for the Sofia Emergency Medical Centre:
"A man called saying his wife was giving birth – her waters had broken, everything was covered in blood. When the team arrived, it turned out she had a kidney crisis – her kidneys hurt, she was curled up in a chair and wasn’t pregnant. When asked why they lied, they said: ‘So you would come!’ But this way, someone somewhere could truly lose their life."
Uninsured patients also frequently misuse emergency services, but there is another group too – elderly and lonely people who simply want company.
Katya Sungarska, spokesperson for the Sofia Emergency Medical Centre:
"One of these so-called regulars – recently the team told us – opened the door beaming and said: ‘Come in, come in, I’ve made doughnuts for you."
On average, one 112 operator handles between 200 and 300 calls during a 12-hour shift. Around 40% do not require emergency assistance.
Stoyan Valev, senior expert at the National 112 System Directorate, Ministry of Interior:
"Our operators are trained and very experienced. During the call, they can identify the factors that indicate whether a report is false or genuine."
"False reports include bomb threats to schools made by minors, calls for medical help over non-emergency symptoms, or fabricated alerts about police or fire incidents that don’t exist."
Katya Sungarska, spokesperson for the Sofia Emergency Medical Centre:
"While someone ties up an emergency team for a non-urgent, non-life-threatening issue – high blood pressure, a loose tooth, head lice and similar – someone else in real danger could die."
Fines for false emergency calls vary depending on severity. But as officials remind us – no price can be placed on a human life.
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