Scammers trick two elderly women into paying for fake operation in Cyprus

Scammers in south Cyprus tricked a 79-year-old mother into paying €9,000 for an operation she was told her daughter desperately needed.

The lady in Nicosia received a phone call at the home line and a woman pretending to be her daughter began crying and asking for help. Immediately afterwards, a man pretending to be a doctor spoke to the mother and claimed that her daughter was at hospital and required surgery on her leg.

The fake doctor then asked the mother for €9,000, directing her to a bank to draw out cash.

The mother was then asked to provide her mobile phone number so the scammer could remain on the line and guide her throughout the process of withdrawing the cash.

Following the man’s instructions, the 79-year-old then went to a churchyard near the bank branch and left the cash in a bin.

Upon returning home the mother saw her daughter and realised that she had been scammed.

In another case, another elderly person was again deceived into giving money to fraudsters who manipulate them through the phone, Greek Cypriot police said on Tuesday. Numerous other similar cases have been reported over the past months.

He allegedly told her on the phone that a relative of hers had been injured and urgently needed to be transferred and operated in England. And that this was the reason the amount of €80,000 had to be paid promptly.

After the woman was convinced of the necessity of paying the money she told the alleged doctor she could not give him that much money but then he asked for €40,000 and later €20,000.

The alleged doctor then asked her home address so that he could arrange to collect the money. A short time later an unknown man visited the 76-year-old and received a sum of money of €8,500 before leaving.

The complainant, at the encouragement of the alleged doctor, went to a bank to withdraw more money but the manager there realised it was a fraud. And he reported the case to the police.

Nicosia police said that they are investigating the case.

The unit reminded the public to be extremely cautious with such types of calls or requests and contact a local police station or inform the authorities by calling 1460.

 

Cyprus Mail