Police have charged a 46-year-old man with exploiting his friendship with an 84-year-old woman to take more than €175,000 in cash, jewelry and bank savings, in a case solved by the Lefkos Pyrgos crime unit in Thessaloniki.
According to police, in October 2024 the man obtained the keys to the woman's home and removed €12,000 in cash and gold jewelry worth about €100,000.
He then allegedly took out a phone line in the woman's name.
Accomplices went to a bank branch in Piraeus and, using a forged identity card, withdrew a total of €63,902.50 from her account, through both over-the-counter withdrawals and e-banking, police said.
Investigators traced the suspect and filed a case against him for aggravated theft, computer fraud and forgery.
It will go to the first-instance prosecutor. Police did not say whether the accomplices have been identified or arrested.
The case shows how trusted acquaintances can exploit older people. Greek police have repeatedly warned that older residents are frequent targets of fraud, from fake utility workers to phone and text scams.
Authorities advise people not to give house keys or banking details to anyone outside close family, to review account activity regularly, and to call police on 100 at the first sign of suspicious withdrawals.