By Lia Kontopoulou
Greek authorities have recovered more than half of €152,000 stolen from a Crete regional government agency, after fraudsters gained control of its bank accounts using a fake website that mimicked the agency's banking partner, an investigation by Greece's anti-money laundering authority found.
The scammers exploited login credentials mistakenly entered by Crete Regional Authority employees on the fraudulent site, then drained the accounts through roughly 55 rapid transactions to unknown recipients holding accounts at a Greek bank.
The transfers, carried out in the early morning hours, involved relatively small amounts each time — a technique known as smurfing, designed to avoid detection.
The independent authority, led by honorary Deputy Prosecutor of the Supreme Court Charalambos Vourliotis, launched an immediate investigation and found the funds had quickly moved from the initial accounts to others held by unidentified beneficiaries at banks abroad.
Through cooperation with foreign counterparts, investigators have so far traced and secured more than half of the stolen amount.
The investigation continues, with authorities aiming to recover the remaining funds and identify those responsible.
The case file has been forwarded to judicial authorities in Crete to begin the legal process of recovering the money for the agency.