Man arrested for pretending to be doctor, operating scam

Paphos police on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of impersonating a doctor and obtaining money under false pretenses.

The 34-year-old is suspected of being connected with at least two cases where unsuspecting members of the public were duped into handing over cash, supposedly to pay for urgent surgery for loved ones.

Paphos CID chief Michalis Nicolaou said officers had been contacted by a bank that an individual they believed was a potential victim wanted to withdraw funds.

Both the individual and the bank cooperated with Paphos CID, with police officers putting the potential victim under surveillance from the bank to the rendezvous spot with the suspected fraudsters.

The individual went to the area near the Ayios Kendeas church and as the envelope with the cash was being handed over, police swooped in and arrested the 34-year-old.

He is suspected of having, with accomplices, secured €10,000 from one victim and €7,000 from a second, claiming it was needed for urgent medical treatment for members of their family who had been involved in a car accident.

On Tuesday, he was due to collect €20,000.

Nicolaou said that in recent days, police had received complaints that unknown people were phoning potential victims claiming that their son or daughter had been in a traffic collision and cash was needed to pay for surgery.