The National Police have arrested five people in Cartagena (Murcia) for allegedly letting other people use their bank accounts to get money from scams and then sending the money to a criminal network in exchange for cash.
The scam starts with a phone call in which the scammers trick the victim into thinking that their online banking is being accessed without permission. The criminals then get the victim to make several transfers to accounts that they provide, saying that this will protect their data and income.
According to sources from the Corps, these payments would go to the accounts of “digital mules” in order to hide the scammers’ identities and make it harder to find the illegal money.
The criminal group has hired the mules before to open new bank accounts or give them the number of their own account and restore it or transfer it to other people the group has chosen, in exchange for a cut of the money they stole.
There are several ways to find drug mules. Some of them utilise social engineering techniques on social media to post advertising that promise “extra income” or even call people directly after they fill out an online form for a “well-paid job.”
These mules are an important part of criminal activity because they lend their accounts and help move illegal money. Even if they say they don’t know anything or act like they don’t know anything, it’s best to be very careful and not trust any request to receive or move money for someone else.
The Cartagena Police Station has detained five people who are connected to frauds like this one. There were four complaints submitted in different parts of Spain: two in Valladolid (Castilla y León), one in Castellón (Valencian Community), and one in Mahón (Balearic Islands).
People who were detained are suspected of money laundering and being part of a criminal group.
Author: Derek Appleton
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