Fake Doctor Phone Scam: Kazakh National Arrested in Belgrade

The fake doctor phone scam that has been targeting Belgrade now has both a suspect and an exact figure attached to it. The Ministry of Interior announced on August 13 that it had arrested V.N., born in 1994, a Kazakh national. He is charged with fraud after allegedly taking 20,360 euros from a 74-year-old woman.

The arrest was carried out jointly by the Criminal Police Directorate and the Belgrade Police Department.

How Was the Scam Carried Out?

The call came in on August 5, 2026, to the victim’s landline. The callers told her that her daughter had been seriously injured and needed emergency surgery. They introduced themselves as the doctors who would be performing that operation.

The Ministry of Interior describes what allegedly happened next:

Individuals who remain unidentified, acting under a prior arrangement with the suspect, called the 74-year-old victim by phone on August 5 this year and deceived her by falsely presenting themselves as doctors.

The amount demanded was 20,360 euros for the supposed emergency operation. The money was not wired or transferred to any account. Following a plan arranged in advance, the suspect came to collect it in person, keeping the woman under the belief that the money was needed to treat her daughter.

The other participants in the call have not yet been identified. The Ministry of Interior refers to them in its statement as individuals who remain unidentified.

Eight days passed between the call to the victim and the announcement of the arrest. The call came on August 5, and the Ministry of Interior’s statement followed on August 13.

Detention for Up to 48 Hours

The suspect has been placed in detention, and the case is being handed to the Second Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade.

The suspect has been ordered held for up to 48 hours, after which he will be brought before the Second Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade along with a criminal complaint.

Until a final verdict, V.N. holds the status of a suspect. Guilt is established in court, not in a police statement or a news article.

What Is New Compared to the Earlier Warning

We previously covered this type of scam when the Ministry of Interior renewed its appeal to citizens not to hand over money to unknown callers posing as doctors, police officers or lawyers. At that point there was only a warning: a description of the method, a caution, and advice to verify the caller’s claim with family members.

Now the method comes attached to the names of the institutions that worked the case, the date of the call, the amount taken and a suspect who has actually been arrested. That is the difference between a warning and a case file.

The pattern itself is easy to recognize. The call goes to an elderly person’s landline, the story is always the same and always urgent, and the window to decide is measured in minutes. A courier then comes to the victim’s home address for the cash, since cash is the only form that leaves no transaction trail.

The advice from the Ministry of Interior’s earlier appeal has not changed in the meantime. When a call comes in about an accident involving a close relative, hang up and call that person directly, or another family member, before handing money to anyone.