The Panevėžys District Court upheld the 3.5-year prison sentence for Dovydas Maulius, the main instigator of a phone scam that defrauded victims of tens of thousands of euros. Although the court modified the legal evaluation of some offenses, the overall punishment remained unchanged, reflecting the seriousness of Maulius's crimes. He had conducted scams while serving his prison sentence in Pravieniškės in September and October 2020.

Maulius executed the fraud using a consistent scheme, posing as a police officer or bank employee while calling random individuals to convince them that illegal transactions were occurring in their bank accounts. By obtaining the victims' electronic banking access details, he would rapidly transfer the money to other accounts or arrange for withdrawal by accomplices left at large. The court found Maulius guilty of misappropriating large values of property, confirming the severity and calculated nature of his criminal activities.

This case highlights the ongoing issue of phone scams in Lithuania, with researchers and law enforcement agencies warning that similar fraud schemes continue to proliferate, exploiting trust and creating substantial financial losses for victims. The court’s decision to maintain Maulius's sentence sends a clear message about the judiciary's stance on financial crimes and may instigate further discussions about preventive measures against such criminal activities.