Greek police bust gang posing as DEDDIE electricity staff, six arrested

The arrests

Officers from the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime broke up the group on the afternoon of Thursday, 5 November 2026. The operation was run by the Economic Crimes Prosecution Subdivision with support from special operational units, in an area of West Attica. Six people were arrested and taken to the competent prosecuting authority. Police said they have so far solved 24 fraud and theft cases, both completed and attempted, with the illicit gain exceeding 565,000 euros. Five arrests were made at the group's telephone call centre, while a sixth person was detained in another part of the same building, which was used to store the stolen goods.

How the group operated

Police said the group had been active since at least July 2026 and had split its members into clear roles. Some were 'directors', others were phone operators who also collected the money and valuables, and others were responsible for guarding the stolen goods. Every day the members phoned citizens chosen at random from printed phone directories and websites. Posing as DEDDIE employees, they cited a supposed electricity leak or a technical fault on the network, and persuaded victims to gather cash and valuables and leave them in accessible places inside or outside their homes. Other members then visited those homes and removed the items. To avoid detection, the group often changed the premises of its call centre, along with its phone lines and the numbers it used.

Items seized

Searches of two residences turned up 4,100 euros in cash, 12 mobile phones, 28 gold sovereigns, 60 bracelets, 118 pieces of earrings, 63 watches, 29 rings, 47 chains and four crosses. Officers also seized a hunting rifle, nine loose pages from a printed phone directory listing citizens' contact details and home addresses, and handwritten notes. The counts of the physical items are shown in the chart below.

Gold sovereigns28

Bracelets60

Earring pieces118

Watches63

Rings29

Chains47

Crosses4

Mobile phones12

Gold sovereigns

28 items

Bracelets

60 items

Earring pieces

118 items

Watches

63 items

Rings

29 items

Chains

47 items

Crosses

4 items

Mobile phones

12 items

Data from the article text

Separate fraud cases in Arta, Ioannina and Preveza

Separately, ERT reported cases in Arta, Ioannina and Preveza, as relayed by in.gr. According to ERT, perpetrators phoned elderly victims posing as accountants or DEDDIE employees, and used various pretexts to get them to leave money and jewellery outside their homes, where accomplices collected them. Five phone frauds in those three towns involve a combined haul above 80,000 euros, and four people have been identified. In Arta, one man was identified in connection with three cases recorded on 29 September, with loot of about 40,000 euros. In Ioannina, a man was identified over a fraud on the same day, from which 600 euros and jewellery worth 15,000 euros were taken. A man and a woman are included in the case file for a Preveza fraud recorded on 26 September, with loot of 25,000 euros. Case files are to be submitted to the prosecuting authorities, and police are still working to identify others involved.