The Murcia Civil Guard conducted an investigation in the framework of the ‘Férula’ operation to shed light on the alleged frauds operated from various dental clinics in San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia and Pilar de la Horadada (Alicante). The fraud resulted in forged documents, marital status extortion, and the arrest of an alleged criminal organization member and the investigation of two others.
So far, Benemérita has registered a total of 46 victims, amounting to around 100,000 euros in aid obtained illegally.
The investigation began when a San Pedro del Pinatar resident informed the Civil Guard that he was the victim of fraud and abuse of power at a dental clinic in the municipality of Pinatar.
According to the victim, she applied for a loan for dental treatment through the clinic itself and soon realized that a double financing had been requested from the same cabinet on her behalf, of which she was unaware.
After escalating this anomaly to the institution’s executives, they argued that it was a banking error that they would try to fix. Meanwhile, the complainant continued to face both loans claimed for the same oral and dental treatment.
Civil guards identified the suspects operating the dental clinic in San Pedro del Pinatar and learned that there were other clinics in the municipalities of Murcia and Pilar de la Horadada (Alicante) run by the same people. It seems that similar events had occurred as well.
Investigations conducted by Benemérita have thus far allowed for the uncovering of a large number of affected individuals, among them 46 who are heirs of a deceased person and for whom they have applied for loans posthumously. The financial institution requested the payment of the debt from the son of the alleged borrower.
According to the investigation, the suspects developed their scam through two working methods. One of his tricks was to request a loan for the amount of the budget for dental treatments, and then increase this initial budget and request a new loan in their own name, convincing patients that they needed to extend the line of credit.
On the other hand, they obtained confidential information from people who had never been sick in the clinic before, and whose identities they applied for consumer loans, through a third person in detention, and also used their personal data for fraudulent purposes. contract lines of credit. phone or even open bank accounts.
Recently, in the second phase of the investigation, the platform affected by I-dental and Dentix joined the lawsuit, detecting about 40 frauds among its members.
Apparently, the main leader of this conspiracy attended one of the meetings of the aforementioned citizens’ platform in the municipality of Las Torres de Cotillas, which promised 50% discount dental treatments and presented himself as the Robin Hood of those affected. the majority contracted the services of their clinic, which meant the double victimization of those affected.
Similarly, the Murcia Regional College of Dentists joined the case, as many of those affected denounced malpractice, both in the use of medical supplies and in the use of inferior-than-contracted medical supplies, and the sequelae suffered by some patients. .
Some had to inexcusably go to other clinics or even emergency medical services to be treated for severe pain that in some cases prevented them from chewing food.
Instead of paying their patients, members of the criminal group came to ask them to deposit money with the Tax Office, creating an alleged debt of more than 100,000 euros to the Public Institution.
Operation ‘Férula’ recently resulted in the arrest of a 33-year-old Romanian man, as well as investigating cases against a man and a woman, two of whom are Spanish nationals. crimes include fraud, forged documents, extortion of marital status and membership of a criminal organization.
The person arrested and the two persons under investigation were presented to the Order Court No. 1 in San Javier (Murcia), along with the proceedings initiated.