The Ibi-based Civil Guard’s Field Robbery Response Team (ROCA) has reported a case involving a 41-year-old man arrested in Ceutí, a town in Murcia. He stands accused of defrauding at least ten dog owners across Spain, including two from Aspe and Novelda. Victims were manipulated into paying up to 200 euros to recover their missing dogs. Authorities indicate the suspect is already connected to twenty other similar scams committed in prior years.
The ROCA unit of Ibi initiated the investigation after two residents from Aspe and Novelda approached local police to report the fraud they experienced. They explained that after their dogs were stolen, they used social media to search for them and shared photos in hopes of locating the animals.
Shortly afterward, the victims received a call from a person claiming to have seen the dogs and offering to sell the dogs online for 200 euros. The caller said he lacked funds to recover the dogs, but promised to secure their return if the owners paid first.
Trap
The victims trusted the caller, driven by urgency to rescue their loyal companions. The scammer did not actually know the dogs’ whereabouts; instead, he exploited information found in the owners’ own social media posts and public “Wanted” notices posted by the families seeking their pets.
After receiving the money, the fraudster contacted several victims again, mocking them for having fallen prey to the scheme.
The investigation later identified the alleged scammer, and within a few weeks it was confirmed that he had defrauded at least eight more people in other provinces, including Cádiz, Granada, León, Málaga, Seville, and Tarragona.
The suspect resided in Ceutí, prompting Ibi agents to travel to the Murcian town and arrest him. He faces ten fraud charges, with proceedings filed before the competent court in Molina de Segura.
Meanwhile, two of the ten stolen dogs associated with the case have already been recovered in León and Cádiz. Investigators continue to work in collaboration with regional dog shelters to locate the remaining dogs and return them to their rightful owners.
Authorities stress the importance of verifying any offers that seem overly convenient and relying on official channels to report missing pets. This case underscores how quickly social media can amplify risk when personal information is exposed and exploited by fraudsters.
Attribution: Information compiled from statements by the Civil Guard and ROCA teams, and reports from local police units involved in the probe.