Following our update published last week our enquirer has sent us further evidence endorsing the fact that this is undoubtedly a scam. Our enquirer involved his son in law to assist and was advised to contact a reputable firm of Greek lawyers based in Athens, Potamitis Vekris. Our enquirer sent copies of certain documents for the lawyer to peruse. Managing Partner, Stathis Potamitis had this to say and below we publish his response.
“Thank you for your message and thanks to your son-in-law for his kind referral.
I have no doubt that the document you shared with me is fake. It is dated May 24 2022 and purports to governmental form document (perhaps of the Ministry of External Affairs?) . There are many features that are abnormal but it would be enough to notice that it is signed by Euclides Tsakalotos who used to be Minister of Finance until 2019 and is now an opposition MP, without any governmental responsibilities. His signature is taken from the internet (it became an issue of hilarity due to its peculiar shape). Indeed, the Areios Pagos, which is somehow said to be responsible for the account, is the Supreme Court of Greece, the highest court that reviews only the legal merits of decisions that are challenged by litigants (usually following a court of appeals decision). It would certainly never be involved in an escrow agent capacity or hold amounts in trust. I also note that Mr. Kosmidis (who is said to be entitled to collect money transferred by yourself) has an email account with Yandex, a technology company used primarily by Russian speakers and not used in Greece. As to the person’s particulars, the postal code does not exist in Greece and I would be doubtful that the rest of the information has much accuracy. Presumably, you have the banking coordinates, since you made payments to that person (however, as you indicate that they were cash transfers you used Western Union or some similar service and not a bank transfer – I note that the email you sent me had a hyperlink to a money transfer service called Sendmoney24, perhaps you only used that one). In any event, any information you have on those payments could be useful for any further investigation.
In my view, this looks like a matter for the police. There is a special team that deals with such cases and we could help you get in touch and explain your situation. We could also help you find local representation should you consider our fees to be too high (we handle mostly large commercial matters – our blended rate would be approx.. 230 Euro per hour and we would not be able to commit to a fixed amount for the whole assignment).
Another angle that you should be able to explore in the UK would be to see if you can recover from the cash payment company. I note they are a UK limited liability entity that is authorized by the FCA as a payment system operator. It may be argued that they acted (or perhaps were liable for omissions or negligence) that facilitated the scam. You may wish to consult a local solicitor to explore that angle further. This is way too early, but my hunch is that you would have a better chance of recovering some of your money from them than from the fraudsters in Greece (or possibly elsewhere), who I would expect to be difficult to track down. If you do seek assistance in the UK they may be also able to suggest whether a criminal investigation in Greece would be helpful or whether you should seek police assistance in the UK.
I am really sorry that I do not have a more positive view of the situation. Please let me know if and how you would like us to assist.
Best regards
Stathis
Stathis Potamitis
Managing Partner”
Our conclusion
Added to the evidence we have already investigated and published we feel that this communication from a reputable lawyer on the ground in Athens would confirm that this whole saga of events is a 100% scam.
We can liken this to a fake Rolex, nowadays these fakes are so good they are almost indistinguishable from the real watch, so much so scammers are taking thousands of pounds off the unwary for a Chinese clone watch that at best may be worth a couple of hundred pounds.
The same applies here, the documentation is so good that it can fool the unwary into parting with thousands, the only difference is that at least with the Rolex scam you have a watch that looks the part and tells the time, although for how long, who knows? With this fraud you could end up paying thousands and have nothing at all but the feeling of shame, guilt and stupidity to have fallen for it.
These scams and those behind them are certainly getting more sophisticated but it doesn’t matter how good they are they are still a scam. If you are contacted with an offer of thousands from a court case against a defunct company that you may have had dealings with in the past, run for the hills and don’t get involved. This case has proved that there has been no court case, never will be and there is certainly no pot of gold at the end of this Greek rainbow.
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk