A 98 year old man in Thessaloniki fell victim to an elaborate phone scam on New Years Eve after a caller falsely claimed his son had been kidnapped.
The unidentified caller reportedly demanded ransom for the sons supposed release, prompting the elderly man to hand over 246 gold sovereigns to a woman he had never met.
A second call followed shortly afterward, with the scammer insisting that more gold was required, leading the victim to surrender an additional 124 sovereigns.
Police sources indicated that the scammers ultimately stole 370 gold coins in total, including 299 from the UK and 71 from Belgium, with an estimated value of around €330000.
Only after the second handover did the man realize he had been deceived, at which point he filed a report with the White Tower Crimes Unit.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident as they work to identify those responsible.
