Four Friends Convicted for Deceiving Teacher with Fake Cancer Cure, Selling Aspirin for €100,000

A case involving a fraudulent scheme to sell a cancer “cure” for €100,000 has reached the Greek Supreme Court.

The scam involved four friends convincing a teacher to purchase a water solution with dissolved aspirin, which was presented as a life-saving drug from a secret Russian research centre.

The teacher, diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, was told the treatment would help him recover. The fraudsters claimed the “medicine” was custom-made after DNA testing and would cost him up to €87,000. They also fabricated stories about other supposed cures, including a claim that a child with McCune-Albright syndrome was healed after paying €120,000 for the same treatment.

After months of delayed shipments and multiple payments for false treatments, the teacher finally realized he had been deceived when the medicine tasted like aspirin. The fraudsters had stolen approximately €100,000, leading to their joint fraud conviction. They were sentenced to four years in prison, though their sentence could be converted to a fine.

Despite an appeal, the Supreme Court upheld the convictions, referring the case back to the Athens Court of Appeal for recalculating their sentences.