Metropolitan law enforcement authorities detained the trio of perpetrators involved in a series of phone scams targeting elderly citizens from various Bulgarian cities. The criminal group operated through an extremely precise fraudulent scheme involving social manipulation of older people.
On July 30, the criminal scenario was applied to a 67-year-old resident of Yambol. The scammers initially presented themselves as employees of the General Directorate of National Police, reporting a fabricated story about an attempt to illegally withdraw a loan in her name. Subsequently, another criminal, posing as a bank employee, further manipulated the elderly woman.
Under the influence of suggestions, the victim withdrew 19,600 leva from her personal bank account and transferred them to another, supposedly "protected" account. The criminals managed to convince the victim through a series of consecutive phone calls built on psychological suggestions of urgency and threat.
During a large-scale police operation in Sofia, three suspects were detained - a 26-year-old man and two women aged 54 and 21. One of the perpetrators already had a criminal record, including previous financial fraud.
During the procedural actions, law enforcement seized evidentiary materials: mobile phones, SIM cards, a laptop, and documents. A significant cash sum of 30,150 leva was also found, part of which originated from the fraud in Yambol.
The investigation established the group's involvement in two other similar crimes - in Kazanlak on July 17 amounting to 9,000 leva and in Karlovo on July 30 with 10,000 leva. The investigation continues under the guidance of the respective prosecutors.