The victim reported that credit cards had been stolen and that the money was being spent at shopping centers in Alicante. Purchases had already reached more than 4,500 euros, and the suspects were detained while in another shopping center. According to the police, two women and a Chilean man aged between 25 and 77 years were arrested on charges of fraud and theft through deception in connection with these events.
The incidents occurred at a well-known shopping mall in the capital of Alicante. A victim stated that her belongings had previously been stolen, a fact that had already been reported, and she confirmed that several of her bank cards were being used at the mentioned store at that moment.
The responding officers, upon learning of the facts, carried out several checks and were able to verify that purchases totaling 4,500 euros had been made with the cards that had been reported as stolen. Among the items bought with the victimized cards were three high-end mobile phones, each valued at about 1,350 euros, found among the goods obtained with the compromised payment methods.
Ongoing inquiries shed light on the identities of the three perpetrators and the vehicle they used to travel. It was discovered that they had relocated to a second shopping center in San Vicente del Raspeig, raising the possibility that they planned further fraud in the same area.
A thorough search of the seized items and the vehicle uncovered belongings and documents belonging to the victim, which led to their detention for fraud. The officers recovered a collection of forged or unnamed bank cards, multiple smartphones, including several premium models, as well as large quantities of clothing and designer accessories, some jewelry, small quantities of controlled substances, 4,215 euros in cash, and other foreign currencies. The vehicle used in the operation was also seized.
Modus operandi
Following the relevant investigative work, investigators established that the group traveled as itinerant offenders, using rental vehicles to move quickly between locations. They would steal personal effects and payment methods to profit from the crime. In a second phase, in another nearby locality, they would continue to exploit the stolen means of payment to extract additional value, causing further harm to the victim.
As a result, the detainees were brought before the guardianship court in San Vicente del Raspeig for judicial proceedings.
Source: Police statements and official operation records. The case highlights the risks of card fraud and the importance of reporting thefts promptly and monitoring card activity for unauthorized transactions.