Greece's tax authority, AADE, dismantled a large tax fraud network built on fake invoices worth tens of millions of euros, arresting three people including a woman who claimed to be homeless while living in a 280-square-meter villa with a pool in Athens's northern suburbs.
Investigators from AADE's economic crime unit uncovered the network by cross-referencing data from the myDATA digital platform, business registries and corporate ownership records. They found the same individuals repeatedly listed as managers or partners across multiple companies, with new businesses springing up immediately after previous ones shut down or changed ownership.
The companies shared office space, phone numbers, business addresses and corporate structures, mostly operating in wholesale clothing, footwear and related goods.
Most existed primarily to issue or receive fake invoices.
Documented cases so far include individual businesses with fake transactions ranging from €2.5 million to €28 million each, involving at least six companies identified so far, part of a larger network still under investigation.
Records show different Greek companies in the network transacted with the same foreign firms, repeatedly using identical corporate stamps and identification details.
Three people have been arrested, including the woman who declared herself homeless despite owning the villa, believed to be the manager and owner of one of the network's main companies.
The scheme also involved foreign traders who have since disappeared, having purchased more than €40 million in goods.
Investigators have identified €9.6 million in unpaid VAT and €8.3 million in unreported income so far, for total tax evasion exceeding €17 million.
Authorities have moved to freeze bank accounts and other assets tied to the network and have seized more than 32,000 counterfeit products.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to map the full extent of the network.