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Man arrested by National Police for scamming over 200,000 euros

National Police Car

A 24-year-old guy in Seville has been taken into custody by National Police officers on suspicion of committing over 70 frauds. He worked in a number of places throughout Spain, including Bilbao, Cádiz, Seville, Granada, and Málaga. He called victims, pretended to be a security department employee at different banks, and used a variety of techniques to trick them into giving him a lot of money. Nine cell phones and a PC were found during the search.

Following a report from a victim who had been robbed of €37,700 through vishing and smishing, the inquiry got underway in late 2023.

What are vishing and smishing?

Smishing is a tactic when a hacker sends a victim an SMS posing as a trustworthy organization—in this case, a bank—with the intention of obtaining personal data or collecting money. Under false pretences, the message usually asks consumers to call a premium-rate number or click on a link to a phoney website—the latter being the technique employed by the scammer. The criminal was able to access and examine the victim’s bank account in detail while they typed their passwords. This strengthened their deceit by ensuring the user’s faith and enabling them to, for instance, list the previous three charges made by each of them in their own accounts.

Another kind of social engineering fraud is called “vishing,” which is a phone call that poses as a business to get the victim’s private information. The suspect in this scam likewise uses this pretext.

The suspect had information about each victim before reaching out to them, which he utilised to support his claimed position as a bank security guard, even going so far as to use spoofing.

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Spoofing: What is it?

Spoofing, which means to lie or deceive, is a widely popular identity theft tactic, particularly when done by email. In this instance, the criminal took advantage of an application that made it possible to change the user’s phone number. By altering it to the name of a bank department, the caller increased the legitimacy of his hoax.

He specifically pretended to prevent a transfer from the fictitious security department of the victims’ individual banks in order to reap the financial gain, after which he indicated that some fictitious instructions were being monitored that would end the operation. The transfer was executed as a result of these instructions, and the author also carried out the process with other transfer applications.


Internet credit, consumer credit, fast money, and more.

The stolen funds were all received in different bank accounts that were also formed by using prepaid mobile phone lines to trick their holders into accepting fictitious work offers.

After viewing the advertisement and providing their phone number, the new victims were led through an instant messaging app to register several bank accounts without getting paid.

Following a rigorous investigation by the Judicial Group of the District Police Station of Abastos and the Cybercrime Group of the Provincial Brigade of the Judicial Police of Valencia, the officers were able to locate the suspect. Despite his numerous movements throughout Spanish territory, the officers were able to arrest him at the end of November of last year and confiscate a computer and nine cell phones, which he used to commit the crimes.

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A man with no previous police record who committed fraud, identity theft, and money laundering has been brought before a judge.


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Costa Blanca

Criminal group dedicated to burglary on farms in the Vega Baja dismantled

As part of Operation “Entrada25,” the Alicante Guardia Civil has dismantled a criminal organisation that was operating in the Vega Baja region and was responsible for burglaries on agricultural estates. Part of the stolen goods have been recovered and returned to their legitimate owners, but the total value of the stolen goods is estimated to exceed 40,000 euros. One individual has been apprehended, and two others are currently being investigated as a consequence of the investigation.

In late 2024, the Torrevieja Field Robbery Team initiated an investigation into the incident in response to numerous complaints. The perpetrators were observed by the investigators to be obtaining access to the facilities by forcing locks or doors, exploiting periods when no personnel were working, and stealing high-value products such as fertilisers, compost, and phytosanitary products.

The Torrevieja Field Robbery Team received assistance from the Seprona (National Police Service) in Guardamar del Segura, the Guardia Civil stations in Guardamar and Callosa de Segura, and the local police forces of Catral, Almoradí, Rafal, Cox, Granja de Rocamora, Algorfa, Benijófar, Formentera del Segura, Rojales, Benejúzar, Los Montesinos, and San Miguel de Salinas. The operation’s success was significantly influenced by the coordinated efforts of all divisions, as well as the investigation and analysis of evidence that was obtained. This led to the identification and location of the perpetrators and the discovery of some of the stolen material.

Additionally, the operation included numerous examinations of suspicious farms, warehouses, and vehicles, which were crucial in elucidating the events.

One of the suspects, a 35-year-old male, was apprehended as part of the established operations at the end of March. Subsequently, two additional males, aged 39 and 48, were identified and investigated. Five counts of burglary and an additional count of membership in a criminal organisation have been filed against each of the three individuals.

The Orihuela Court of Instruction issued an order for the detainee’s release, subject to the imposition of precautionary measures.

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The Civil Guard remains committed to the prevention of this form of crime and underscores the significance of public collaboration in the fight against agricultural theft.


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Costa Blanca

Swift Arrest of Dutch Fugitive in Benidorm

National Police

A 28-year-old Dutch fugitive who was hiding in Benidorm was identified by his evasive conduct. A man in the Marina municipality has been apprehended by National Police officers. The man was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant for Extradition (EAW) issued by the Dutch authorities.

The crime of illegally possessing a firearm in 2024 led to this individual’s nine-month imprisonment. In mid-April, the fugitive fled to Spain after failing to comply with the sentence. The requesting country issued a European Arrest Warrant, with four months remaining.

The fugitive was apprehended by officers from the Benidorm Citizen Security Brigade after they identified him as acting evasively in their presence and verified that he had a European arrest warrant issued.

In January 2024, the detainee was apprehended by the Dutch police while carrying a short firearm without a valid licence. As a result, he was sentenced to three years in pre-sentence prison for the actions he committed.

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Costa Blanca

Torrevieja Local Police remove e-scooters

The Local Police of Torrevieja have removed 22 e-scooters that were improperly parked on the promenade adjacent to Avenue de la Purísima.
The vehicles were reported for parking in a pedestrian zone in a manner that did not adhere to the current regulations.
Parking is not permitted in pedestrian areas, walkways or footpaths. The passage should also not be obstructed by scooters, which should be parked in approved areas.


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