Greece: Police bust gang using AI to clone relatives’ voices for cash

A criminal organisation that used Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to clone the voices of relatives in order to make telephone scams more convincing has been dismantled by the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime.

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The gang is alleged to have defrauded citizens using various pretexts, posing among other things as employees of the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (HEDNO), mobile phone companies and fibre-optic service providers. They would then exploit voice-cloning technology to create the impression that a relative or other trusted person of the victim was on the line.

The organisation’s activities were brought to an end following a police operation by the Financial Crime Squad’s Sub-Directorate in Nea Ionia, Attica, where two of its members, aged 23 and 25, were arrested. The two suspects are believed to have acted as the gang’s “collectors” and were caught just after removing valuables worth around 30,000 euros from a home.

The case file for criminal organisation, fraud and aggravated theft also includes four more individuals, three of whom have already been identified. According to the police, the gang’s illegal gains are estimated to exceed 1 million euros.

How the AI scam worked

According to the investigation, the organisation had established clear roles, with “management” figures, “callers” and “collectors”. Its operation is thought to have begun at least in early July 2026.

The “callers” searched for potential victims and contacted them using different pretexts. They usually convinced them that they had to take some action related to the installation of fibre optics or another supposedly technical procedure.

When a victim expressed doubts, the perpetrators urged them to get in touch with a relative or another trusted person, supposedly in order to confirm the process.

They then asked for the telephone number of that person and called them, pretending to represent a telecommunications company or another service provider.

During this brief conversation they recorded a sample of their voice. Using an Artificial Intelligence tool, they then created a cloned version of that voice.

The next step was to call the original victim again. This time, through voice-cloning technology, they reproduced the relative’s voice, creating the impression that this person was indeed on the other end of the line and was confirming what the scammers had previously claimed.

In this way, the perpetrators sought to dispel victims’ doubts and make the scam more convincing.

Five more incidents

So far, the gang’s involvement has been confirmed in five further cases using a similar modus operandi.

At the same time, the police investigation led to the solving of a vehicle theft reported on 14 September 2026, which, according to the findings, the organisation’s members were using as an “operational vehicle”.

In total, the searches led to the seizure of a public-use vehicle and two mobile phones.

The two detainees were brought before the competent prosecutor and referred to the examining magistrate, while the investigation continues to determine the full extent of the criminal activity.

Police warn about scams using cloned voices

In light of this case, the Hellenic Police are renewing their warning about telephone scams in which perpetrators pose as employees of utilities, public services, telecommunications companies, banks or other organisations.

They place particular emphasis on the fact that recognising a familiar voice is no longer, in itself, a reliable way of confirming the caller’s identity, as the voice may have been technically manipulated or reproduced using AI.

Citizens are urged to:

• hang up immediately on suspicious phone calls,
• avoid disclosing personal or financial information,
• avoid giving details about who lives in their household or when they are away from home,
• call their relative or trusted person themselves, on a number they already know, in order to confirm the communication,
• use, wherever possible, a pre-agreed safety word or phrase,
• not open the door to strangers simply because someone has asked them to do so over the phone, even if the voice sounds like that of a relative,
• not hand over money or valuables and not place them in locations indicated to them over the phone,
• verify any scheduled work by contacting the competent organisation themselves, using its official telephone number,
• and inform the police and their relatives immediately about any suspicious call.

The police remind the public that no genuine technical inspection ever requires the handover of cash, jewellery or other valuables, nor disclosure of where such items are kept.

Special care is advised for elderly family members, as even a completely familiar voice on the phone may now have been created or reproduced using Artificial Intelligence technology.

In the event of a suspicious phone call or the presence of unknown persons at a home, citizens are urged to contact the Hellenic Police immediately on 100 or their local police station, keeping, where possible, the number from which the call was made and any other relevant information.