Brazen Bulgarian gangs "terrorise the elderly and rob them over their life savings with increasingly aggressive phone scams nettling millions of euros," according to an AFP story.

Tactics used range "from impersonating police to hurt loved ones", according to the report carried by Daily Sabah newspaper.

"Old people are easy prey in the European Union's poorest member state: many live alone because their children and grandchildren have moved abroad in search of better opportunities.

The isolation, coupled with the bitter memories from a series of banking crises, has prompted senior citizens to hide large amounts of cash in their homes."

The story is available here.