Elderly woman scammed out of thousands in con

The police on Wednesday warned the public that another elderly woman has been scammed out of tens of thousands of euros under the ‘fake doctor’ con.

The case emerged after the 68-year-old woman reported to the police on Tuesday that she received a phone call from an unknown number in which a man claimed to be the director of the Nicosia general hospital.

He claimed that her daughter had been in an accident and required an urgent surgery but that the money must be paid immediately.

The mother was lured in and convinced by the caller to drive to a location in Nicosia and hand over the money.

Once there, the 68-year-old handed over €1,900 in cash and €18,000 worth of jewelry to an unknown woman.

Police said their investigation is ongoing.

The latest scam is one of a series which have emerged over the past couple of years in which the same emotional hook of an injured family member is used to get people to hand over money.