Police officers of the Nova Gorica Police Directorate received information indicating that an as-yet-unidentified perpetrator had phoned an elderly woman and persuaded her that he was a criminal investigator in need of her help in investigating economic crime. The victim agreed to go with him to a bank in Ajdovščina, where she withdrew some cash and handed it over to the unknown scammer.
The offender believed he could solicit even more money and convinced her to go to another bank in the Goriška region to withdraw more cash. This attempt failed as the victim demanded to be taken home before entering the bank. The offender took the victim home. When the victim asked him to write and sign a statement that he had received the money, he refused to do so but promised to return the money. After that all trace of him was lost and the victim reported the incident to the police.
The police officers of the Ajdovščina Police Station launched an investigation suspecting that the crimes had been committed by a 45-year man who was later traced in the area of the Celje Police Directorate. He was arrested and brought before an investigating judge in Murska Sobota and placed in police custody. The suspect had already been processed for the same type of offences elsewhere in Slovenia.
The police are filing a criminal complaint against the 45-year-old suspect with the District State Prosecutor's Office in Nova Gorica on the grounds of reasonable suspicion of committing fraud (Article 211/(1) of the Criminal Code) and false impersonation of an officer or military official (Article 305/(1) of the Criminal Code). The police continue to gather information in order to clarify all circumstances of the offence.
If you are the victim of this crime, file a report to the police
If you have been the victim of this crime or any other scam and have not yet contacted the police, please make a report to the Ajdovščina Police Station (Goriška cesta 16, 5270 Ajdovščina, telephone (05) 365 72 00) or to e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or the nearest police station or dial police telephone number 113, or 080 1200 if you wish to remain anonymous.
Please, exercise caution against strangers’ attempts at defrauding and impersonation. If you suspect that somebody is posing as a police officer, call one of the above police numbers and report the incident.
Be careful when dealing with strangers
Police are actively warning residents to take precautions in order to avoid falling for scams.
Victims, very often older adults, are often not cautious enough or find it difficult to spot fraudsters who approach with unsolicited offers or attempt to distract homeowners. Criminals want to gain people’s trust with their only goal being to steal. Quite often, criminals will observe their victims before approaching them.
Elderly people are especially at risk of falling for such crimes. It is often only after a while that they realise that they have been victims of property crimes. Late reporting to the police makes it difficult to investigate crimes further.
People are strongly advised against letting strangers or uninvited persons in their homes, especially if such individuals act in an intrusive and threatening way. It is important to keep a watchful eye on strangers at all times. Fraudsters will often take advantage of people's momentary absence or inattention (e.g. the victim goes to another room for a brief moment to get a wallet or a glass of water) and steal valuable items (cash, gold, etc.) from them.
If you are a victim of crime, you can also help the police track the offender by trying to remember as many details as possible, such as the perpetrator’s appearance, the direction in which the offender travelled when leaving the premises, type of transport used, number plates etc.