Alicante authorities reported the case of a 28-year-old man who posed as a computer technician to defraud a senior citizen out of more than 250,000 euros. The scheme unfolded through in-home visits to resolve supposed computer issues, but the real impact was a pattern of 65 bank transfers tied to the fraud, spread over several months.
The perpetrator earned the victim’s trust at the residence, gaining access to her computer and, with steady efficiency, manipulating her bank accounts. The operation allowed the suspect to move funds while maintaining a discreet, continual presence in the victim’s everyday life, slowly eroding her financial defenses without triggering suspicion.
The victim reported the losses to the Alicante Provincial Police Station, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Group of the Provincial Judicial Police Brigade in Alicante led the investigation. They tracked the financial movements and traced the suspect’s activities, mapping how the scheme unfolded across accounts and time.
According to the complainant, the individual had first connected with the victim while working at a local phone shop in Alicante. The victim went to the shop to purchase a phone, and the person introduced himself as a private technician capable of solving computer problems at home, offering a service that served as a cover for the fraudulent activity.
— The investigation photographs depict a police inspector from Alicante connected to the case.
The doors of trust opened
The victim, drawn by the lure of a quick fix, allowed the suspected technician into her home and gave access to her personal computer. Police statements indicate the visits occurred on multiple occasions, with around twenty entries over several months, during which the 65 transfers took place and exceeded 250,000 euros in total.
Officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Group followed the money trail to a central city bank in Alicante. After identifying the residence linked to the alleged fraud, officers conducted searches and followed leads that culminated in locating and detaining the person under investigation. The case is advancing in Alicante’s court system as a suspected fraud offender.
This incident highlights the risk of trusting unsolicited technology help and the importance of verifying a technician’s credentials before granting remote or physical access to devices and financial accounts. It also demonstrates how attackers combine social engineering with financial crime to exploit victims over an extended period, frequently moving money in ways that mask the underlying scheme. Prosecution inquiries continue as prosecutors assemble a documented case to support the charges and ensure the victim receives appropriate restitution. Attribution for this report goes to the Alicante Police Department and the Economic and Financial Crimes Group.