The members of a criminal organisation accused of defrauding citizens by posing as employees of DEDDIE, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, or as accountants, were allegedly living lavishly after securing more than €1.6 million through their scams.

Images found on their mobile phones reportedly show the suspects posing with gold sovereigns, bundles of banknotes and extremely expensive watches.

Officers also found cuttings from telephone directories, which the suspects allegedly used to obtain the phone numbers of potential victims.

Seven arrests in Zefyri operation

The group’s activity was dismantled by officers from the Greek police’s Organized Crime Investigation Division, aka the Greek FBI, following an operation carried out last Wednesday, 1 July, in Zefyri, western Attica.

The operation involved officers from the Financial Crimes Sub-Directorate, with the assistance of an OPKE special police unit from the Attica Directorate for Combating and Investigating Crime.

Seven members of the criminal organisation were arrested, including the two alleged ringleaders and the call handlers. A case file has been formed against them for criminal organisation and professional fraud, committed jointly and repeatedly.

How the alleged scam worked

According to police, the investigation began after the evaluation of intelligence. A combined analysis of the evidence pointed to the existence of a criminal group with distinct roles and continuous activity since at least March 2026, allegedly set up for the systematic deception of citizens and the securing of illegal financial gain.

To carry out the alleged scams, members of the group made daily telephone calls to potential victims, whose details they sourced from telephone directories. They falsely presented themselves as DEDDIE employees or accountants, using various pretexts including tax declarations, the safeguarding of money and valuables, or supposed electricity leaks.

The suspects allegedly persuaded victims to gather cash and valuable items and place them at predetermined points either inside or outside their homes. Other members of the group would then go to the properties, where they removed or collected the money and valuables, claiming that they needed to be counted or assessed.

A “family business” with changing call centres

Police said the criminal organisation operated as a form of “family business”, as all its members were related to one another and came from the same social group.

In an effort to avoid detection, the group allegedly changed the location of its “call centre” and the telephone connections it used on a regular basis. Police also said surveillance systems and security shutters had been installed at the premises from which the operation was run.

More than €1.6m in illegal gains

The illegal financial gain obtained by the organisation is estimated to exceed €1.6 million.

The arrested suspects were brought before the competent prosecutor’s office, while the investigation into the full extent of their alleged activity is continuing.

The suspects’ roles

As for the members’ roles, police said the ringleaders were responsible for coordinating and supervising the criminal organisation.

The call handlers were allegedly tasked with identifying potential victims, collecting and activating telephone connections and devices, and making the fraudulent calls.