Pair arrested in Thessaloniki over bitcoin scam

Two foreign nationals who were arrested on charges of fraud after allegedly extracting bitcoins worth almost half a million dollars from the owner of a real estate management company were placed in pre-trial detention after appearing before an investigative magistrate in Thessaloniki, northern Greece on Monday.

The two suspects, a 20-year-old and his 26-year-old partner, both Romanian nationals, are being prosecuted for running a criminal organization and computer fraud.

The case file also includes a third person, who is said to be their accomplice and is wanted outside Greece.

According to the indictment, the suspects presented themselves to the Greek businessman as potential buyers of upmarket properties in Thessaloniki worth 2 million euros.