A man has been arrested for allegedly posing as a representative of the National Bank and deceiving pensioners by falsely claiming that their bank accounts were at risk of being blocked; he instructed them to hand over their cash to an intermediary under the pretext of verifying the origin of the funds. Using this scheme, he allegedly obtained 48,983 GEL from the victims

Police have arrested a man on charges of large-scale fraud, according to Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The investigation found that the suspect posed as a representative of various companies and contacted pensioners living in Tbilisi. Under the pretext of providing information about utility bill discounts, he unlawfully obtained their personal data.

He then contacted the same individuals again, this time pretending to be a representative of the National Bank. He falsely warned them that their bank accounts were at risk of being frozen and that the funds in those accounts could be confiscated. Claiming this was necessary to prevent such action, he instructed the victims to hand over their cash to an intermediary he had sent, supposedly so the money's origin could be verified.

As a result of this scheme, the suspect allegedly fraudulently obtained 48,983 GEL belonging to the victims.

Following operational and investigative measures, law enforcement officers arrested the man under a court order. The investigation is ongoing to identify and apprehend any other individuals who may have been involved in the crime.

The case is being investigated under Article 180, Part 3(b), and Part 4(a) of Georgia's Criminal Code, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.