Online advertisers flood the internet with fake news using the identities of well-known celebrities such as Dani Rovira, Pablo Motos, Alberto Chicote and David Broncano. They promise large fortunes from investments in bitcoin, a cryptocurrency and digital payment system, claiming every dollar goes straight into the pockets of these stars. This is the lure that draws people in and persuades them to entrust their savings to a so‑called “golden lake.” By 2019, numerous investors reported falling victim to this method, and three years later the fraudsters reportedly returned to the same playbook, as CASO ABIERTO, the investigative portal of Prensa Ibérica, revealed in its reporting on investigations and events.
A businessman from Barcelona went to the Ciudad Condal Civil Guard Command on March 1 and reported a loss of 54,500 euros in just one month. According to the complaint accessed by the media, he had been browsing the Economics section of a national newspaper on January 14 when a news item appeared on his screen: “Dani Rovira’s latest investment surprises experts and scares big banks.”
The article featured photographs of Pablo Motos and Rovira with the claim that Spaniards were pocketing millions of euros thanks to this “golden lagoon,” and that people were leaving their homes to invest. The businessman, who has an interest in currencies, clicked on the news and left his name and phone number so that scammers could send more information.
Screenshot provided by the complainant to the Civil Guard shows false news used by scammers. This material, later scrutinized by investigators, accompanied the manipulation that followed.
Then a woman who spoke Spanish with a British accent called him from a phone with a British prefix, introducing herself as Mayya and presenting herself as his personal advisor. She appeared friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about business matters, and she guided him through potential investments while expressing concern for his wellbeing, as recalled in the complainant’s statement to OPEN CASE [Citation: OPEN CASE].
400 euros per week
Mayya persuaded him to proceed with a staged operation. The initial investment was 500 euros, after which he was given a username and password to access a “trading” web page that displayed real-time fluctuations of his funds. He claimed to be investing in gas, gold, and even Amazon-related ventures, insisting he was not a novice and had performed due diligence. Yet the platform and the account on which his money was deposited appeared legitimate, weakening his suspicions at first [Citation: OPEN CASE].
Within a week the investment paid off, showing a gain from 500 euros to 900 euros — a 400-euro profit in a few days. Mayya then urged him to invest more money.
vulnerable to loneliness
To win his trust, the woman employed a love‑bombing tactic, exploiting the victim’s loneliness. She cultivated a pseudo-romantic relationship without sexual elements, with the 53-year-old widower gradually placing more faith in her. This led him to invest another 6,000 euros, followed by 7,000 and 9,000 euros, ultimately reaching 54,500 euros after taking out two bank loans of 20,000 and 15,000 euros respectively. Conversations show she capitalized on his emotions, pressing him to keep investing [Citation: OPEN CASE].
“Mayya called me at least three times a day and we texted on WhatsApp every hour,” the investor recalled. Much of their correspondence has been archived by the Civil Guard. Personal messages show how she offered comfort when investments faltered and even guided him through financial steps that used his passwords: “Hello dear. Good morning… I slept poorly. You should eat well and take care of yourself. I know everything will be better.”
The consequences of wealth
Some messages reveal hesitation, with phrases like “stop operations” and “slow down.” Even after sleepless nights, the investor admitted worry about the process: “I’m a little stressed and nervous.” Mayya replied that these were the “consequences and necessities of being rich,” sending a friendly heart in response. At one point, she even asked for a personal photo, though he hesitated, replying that he could not post it from his office network [Citation: OPEN CASE].
Two million for Valentine’s Day came up on February 22 after a confirmed exchange of Valentine’s Day greetings via WhatsApp. The man awoke to a message saying there were two million euros in his account and asked if it was real. He described the moment as almost dreamlike, saying it felt like a joke to wake up to such numbers; he asked to withdraw some funds, but was told a commission had to be paid to access the money. The company demanded a 2.5% commission, equating to 25,000 euros to release one million euros of funds allegedly won. He recalls, “I was told to pay first.” The account was blocked the next day, and no money was released [Citation: OPEN CASE].
With the help of a computer scientist, the businessman traced the scammers to servers located in Ireland and the United States, complicating the search for the perpetrators. In May 2019, Pablo Motos condemned the misuse of his image on El Hormiguero, stating that a post appeared with his photo and a supposed shortcut to easy money through a link. He urged people not to trust the post and clarified that neither he nor his lawyers had located the company. Computer crime authorities were involved because the scammers used multiple locations worldwide [Citation: OPEN CASE].
Since filing his complaint, the Barcelona victim has continued to receive calls from numbers similar to Mayya’s, including requests for loans or taxes to operate in the country and demands for access to funds. The story underscores how sophisticated scammers can be, using real-looking material and targeted emotional manipulation to fleece unsuspecting savers, sometimes with international reach and seemingly credible backstories [Citation: OPEN CASE].