Man Detained at Bulgaria's Border with Romania over €12,000 Phone Scam

Border police in Ruse have detained a 32-year-old man at the border with Romania as he attempted to leave the country, following a telephone scam involving €12,000.

An 80-year-old woman from the village of Kosharitsa, Nessebar municipality, was defrauded. She was told over the phone that her daughter had been admitted to hospital with multiple fractures and that a substantial sum was required for her treatment. The woman collected the money, put it together with her daughter's clothes in a bag and handed it over to a stranger. The incident was reported to the Nessebar Police Station by the victim’s son.

The perpetrator was identified and detained at the Romanian border, in possession of the bag containing the cash and clothing.

The money will be returned to the elderly woman.