Police have detained a phone scammer who defrauded a 90-year-old pensioner in Sofia of BGN 18,000. The suspect has been charged with fraud and faces up to six years in prison.
On 13 August, the fraudster contacted the elderly man, posing as an Interior Ministry officer. He claimed the pensioner needed to hand over BGN 17,800 to assist the police in catching phone scammers.
“The money was physically handed over to the so-called ‘mule’. They were placed in a bag,” explained Inspector Stefan Popov, head of the “Criminal Contingent” sector at Sofia Directorate of the Interior.
After personally giving the cash to the so-called financial mule, the pensioner spoke with his relatives and realised he had fallen victim to a scam. He immediately reported the incident to the police. Within hours, officers arrested a 60-year-old man.
“The so-called mule is the person who collected the money from the elderly victim,” said Inspector Popov.
“The cash was recovered in the property inhabited by the individual who has been formally charged,” confirmed Valentin Dobrev, Junior Prosecutor at Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office.
The man has a criminal record and previous convictions. The court has ordered him to remain in custody.
“The real perpetrators – the organisers – are still being sought. According to operational data, they are most likely in Romania, and the scam itself was certainly not coordinated from within Bulgaria,” added Inspector Popov.
The Interior Ministry reminded the public that police officers never ask for money over the phone to conduct operations.
“People should stay alert and not trust such calls. They should hang up immediately, call from another phone if possible, and report to 112 without delay. Rapid reporting increases the chance of solving the crime quickly,” stressed Inspector Popov.
The supervising prosecutor has since returned BGN 17,800 to the 90-year-old victim, five days after he handed the money over to the fraudsters.
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