Police seek foreign national in Iceland over charity fraud scheme

Icelandic police are actively seeking a foreign national suspected of a series of financial frauds targeting vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly. The suspect is believed to have defrauded people by soliciting donations for charitable causes.

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Hopefully, we will catch him sooner rather than later.

According to Skúli Jónsson, an assistant chief superintendent with the Capital Area Police, authorities believe they know the identity of the perpetrator. The investigation initially focused on incidents in Árbær, Reykjavík, but similar cases have since emerged in Hveragerði and involving a guest at a tournament in Akranes, suggesting a pattern of activity by the same individual.

The alleged scam involves the man approaching people and requesting a 2,000 ISK donation for a charity. He reportedly refuses cash but instead uses his phone to obtain card details. Victims are then tricked into believing they are sending a small donation, only to find that 2,000 euros (approximately 300,000 ISK) have been transferred from their accounts.

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The method he uses is that he walks around and asks for a 2,000 ISK donation for a charity. He refuses cash but uses his phone instead and gets card details from people. Instead, 2,000 euros, or about 300,000 ISK, are transferred to him instead of Icelandic krona.

Jónsson stated that the suspect has no known ties to Iceland. Police did arrest another man in connection with the investigation yesterday, but he was released after questioning and is not believed to be involved.

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The man being sought has no ties to Iceland.