Bogus ambassador cheated Halkidiki taxi drivers

Police in Halkidiki, northern Greece, said on Friday that they were seeking a 64-year-old man alleged to have swindled 3,600 euros out of two local taxi drivers by posing as an ambassador and promising them an exclusive cooperation shuttling diplomats to and from meetings.

According to police, the bogus ambassador spoke with his two unsuspecting victims by telephone last month and promised them a good wage for the transportation of six diplomats on a three-month visit to Halkidiki. The taxi drivers, aged 52 and 55, each paid the requested deposit of 1,800 euros into the 64-year-old's bank account as a guarantee of their commitment to the job. When the pair realized they had been conned, they called police who are now seeking the 64-year-old.

A similar case was reported last week in the northern city of Drama where a 57-year-old suspect is accused of posing as an ambassador to con another two taxi drivers, both aged 43.

Despite the similarities int the two cases, police said no link had been established between the two suspects.