The Guardia Civil arrested a 33-year-old man on charges of building and maintaining several bogus websites impersonating legitimate Vehicle Inspection (ITV) stations, inflicting severe financial and personal harm to many residents.
The inquiry, coordinated by the Oropesa Guardia Civil’s inquiry Department and the Atzeneta del Maestrat Station, resulted in the identification of the perpetrator, who had created a sophisticated digital structure to deceive users.
According to the Guardia Civil, the detainee created nearly identical pages to the genuine ITV stations, using extremely similar domains and hosted them on servers in Ireland and Delaware (USA), making them harder to find.
Victims were able to access these false websites, book ITV appointments, and the money would then ended up in the scammer’s account. Many people discovered the deception when they went to official stations and found no bookings in their names.
In addition to the cash loss, some users submitted personal and car information, which the suspect used to extort money, sometimes asking more money in exchange for restoring allegedly banned services.
The defendant acted discreetly, avoiding the addresses and phone numbers he provided, making investigation even more difficult. He faces 64 charges, including computer fraud, identity theft, money laundering, computer damage, extortion, and disclosure of secrets.
Ora, Atzeneta del Maestrat, Benicà ssim, Alcora, Cabanes, Burriana, Castellón, Valencia, Gandia, Dénia, Elche, Alicante, Alcoy, Mislata, Santa Pola, Xirivella, Sagunto, Petrel, Elda, Sant Joan d’Alacant, Callosa de Segura, and Teruel are among those affected.
Many people incorrectly blamed the official offices for failing to recognise the bogus appointments, causing the ITV stations’ reputation to suffer. The procedures have been handed over to Castellón’s Investigating Court No. 4, which is supervising the judicial processes.
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