Lithuanian court receives fraud case after phone scammers steal over €237,000

The Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office has referred a criminal case to court involving an organised phone scam operation that defrauded victims of more than €237,000, state broadcaster LRT reports.

Two foreign nationals—a 34-year-old Estonian citizen and a 22-year-old Latvian citizen—face charges of fraud, unauthorised acquisition and use of payment card data, and illegal access to information systems. Prosecutors allege that between December 2024 and February 2025, the pair operated as part of a coordinated group, systematically obtaining victims’ electronic banking credentials and personal identification details.

According to investigators, the scammers cold-called at least 25 individuals, posing in Russian as bank representatives, police officers, or other officials. They would fabricate urgent scenarios—such as unauthorised account access or fraudulent loans taken in the victim’s name—while offering assistance. Once trust was established, the callers extracted banking information, physical payment cards, or cash, then drained accounts, took out loans, and transferred stolen funds between newly opened accounts.

The total losses exceeded €237,430. During a search of the Latvian suspect’s temporary residence, police also seized three bags of cannabis, leading to an additional charge of unlawful possession of narcotics without intent to distribute.

The case has been forwarded to Vilnius City District Court for trial.