Greece considers emergency alert system to combat elderly fraud

Greek officials are considering the implementation of a mass emergency notification system, similar to the ‘112’ service used for natural disasters, to combat a surge in scams targeting the elderly. These fraudulent schemes, often involving impersonators of DEDDIE (Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator) employees, are increasing by 30-50% annually, with approximately 30 reported cases per day and criminal proceeds reaching tens of millions of euros.

Legislative changes are also being proposed to address the issue. These include making the deception of elderly citizens an aggravating circumstance and preventing criminals from avoiding prosecution by simply returning the stolen funds to the victims. While authorities aim for mass arrests, concerns remain regarding prison capacity in Greece.