Authorities are warning of a fraudulent scheme operating in large retail chains and shopping centers, where individuals pretend to be deaf to solicit donations. These impostors, often carrying signature folders and fake certificates, request 20 leva from citizens for a non-existent International Center for the Deaf, Mute, and Poor Children.
Investigators identified the perpetrators as touring groups, primarily Romanian citizens, who move between cities after a few days. A street musician from Plovdiv, Georgi Dimitrov, witnessed the fraud and detained two individuals with a citizen's arrest before police intervention. Another witness, Krastyo Petrov, a man with a hearing impairment, also grew suspicious and reported the group after noticing they did not use sign language.
The Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria confirmed the charity is fake, denouncing the abuse of public trust. Courts in Plovdiv have already convicted several individuals involved in the scheme, issuing suspended prison sentences. A subsequent investigation uncovered approximately 300,000 euros connected to the fraud.
Investigators identified the perpetrators as touring groups, primarily Romanian citizens, who move between cities after a few days. A street musician from Plovdiv, Georgi Dimitrov, witnessed the fraud and detained two individuals with a citizen's arrest before police intervention. Another witness, Krastyo Petrov, a man with a hearing impairment, also grew suspicious and reported the group after noticing they did not use sign language.
The Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria confirmed the charity is fake, denouncing the abuse of public trust. Courts in Plovdiv have already convicted several individuals involved in the scheme, issuing suspended prison sentences. A subsequent investigation uncovered approximately 300,000 euros connected to the fraud.
