Greek authorities are investigating an online fraud scheme in which perpetrators impersonated HRH Crown Prince Pavlos, a member of Greece’s former royal family, to defraud a 74-year-old Athenian man.
The scam began when the victim received a Facebook friend request from a fake profile bearing the prince’s name. Over a series of message exchanges, the scammer presented the victim with an elaborate program offering supposed privileges from the former royal family in exchange for a membership fee. The supposed program even included a monthly stipend of €420.
The victim also reported to the police that scammers requested copies of his ID, a utility bill confirming his home address, photographs of his residence, and an initial €15 prepaid card to process the supposed membership, and receive the association’s membership card. The man communicated with the police after he was asked by the scammers for more money to receive the physical card.
Following the incident, the Greek Royal Family issued a statement on their official website. It clarified that “members of the Royal Family are not represented by any individual, institution, or organization – Greek or international – other than their Private Office in Athens.” The statement also included a list of the Greek Royal Family’s verified Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts:
Instagram
@pavlosgreece
@mariechantal22
@princenikolaos
@tgreece
@ninaflohr
@olympiagreece
@alexiosgreece
@achi_of_greece
@odysseas_of_greece
@aristides_of_greece
The press release also went on to clarify that “no member of the Royal Family holds a Facebook account and members of the Royal Family are not represented by any other source of information or communication.”
Photo of HRH Crown Prince Pavlos / Credit: Greek Royal Family Official Website
