At least three serious cases of prescription fraud have been uncovered in Greece over the past five years, with one active investigation revealing a network of more than 140 suspects who allegedly defrauded the country’s largest health insurer, EOPYY.
Kathimerini newspaper obtained judicial documents from the ongoing case, which was handled by Internal Affairs. Thirteen people were initially arrested, while charges have been filed against more than 140 individuals, including private and public doctors, pharmacists, medical representatives and pharmaceutical company executives. The investigation began after a doctor in Ioannina was caught prescribing medications in exchange for payments from pharmaceutical companies.
Court documents reveal fraudsters issued false prescriptions using social security numbers without patients’ knowledge. Pharmacists allegedly dispensed different medications than prescribed – though with identical active ingredients – then prompted doctors to prescribe the originally intended drugs. The scheme targeted “zero AMKA” patients who pay no co-payments, forcing EOPYY to cover full costs while maximizing profits. Medications were later resold at retail for double profit.
In one intercepted conversation, a medical representative warned a company executive: “We’re in trouble… Something happened with the AMKA numbers… A cardiologist from Amaliada called, saying our drugs appeared prescribed without the patient’s knowledge.” The response: “Cancel it, tell him, ‘Sorry, mistake.’”
One suspect estimated the damage: “They’ll accuse you of stealing from EOPYY, from PEDY, from the Greek state… if it’s 30,000 [euros] per month, you stole 700,000.”
EOPYY has implemented digital monitoring tools and internal control protocols. The organization launched home delivery services for high-cost medications in June, providing electronic tracking for every prescription. A 55-million-euro digital health record system, funded by the Recovery Fund, is expected to be completed by late 2026.
However, sources told Kathimerini newspaper that operational problems persist. Anti-fraud tools existed since 2012, but “no one seems to conduct regular research on the data the systems generate,” one source said.
Six suspects have cooperated with authorities seeking leniency.