A sowing machine costing 18,000: how scammers profit from trust

On 7 April at around 12 noon, a resident of Rokiškis district contacted law enforcement authorities to report a possible case of fraud. According to the 62-year-old victim, he had purchased a seed drill on 13 January this year, but almost three months later the goods had never been delivered.

The financial loss resulting from this transaction amounts to €18,150. A pre-trial investigation has been opened under Article 182 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania.

This case reflects the wider problem of fraud in Lithuania, which has been growing steadily in recent years. According to police data, more than 4,000 cases of fraud are registered in the country per year, with the total loss to the public exceeding €12 million.

The average loss per fraud is around €3,000, but cases such as the one in the Rokiškis district are well above the average and show that fraudsters are increasingly targeting higher-value transactions, especially those involving agricultural machinery or business equipment.

Experts note that the agricultural sector is becoming an increasingly attractive target for fraudsters due to the large lump sums involved. The most common schemes involve the use of fictitious online advertising platforms, fake companies, or the impersonation of genuine sellers, taking advantage of their reputations.