Mossos d’Esquadra dismantled a fraud ring that deceived victims by impersonating their children. In a coordinated operation across Catalonia, seventeen suspects were arrested as part of the crackdown.
The organization operated a wide network, according to the Mossos d’Esquadra on Monday, targeting people across Spain. Their scheme aimed to extract more than 60,000 euros through pre-selected frontmen who acted as the scammers0;s proxies.
Seventeen individuals were detained on November 2, facing charges that ranged from belonging to a criminal organization and fraud to coercion, illegal detention, and robbery through violence and intimidation. Authorities also seized 2,000 euros in cash during the raids.
The inquiry began after a report from Palma de Mallorca. The victim explained that a text message appeared on her mobile device, with scammers posing as her son and requesting a bank transfer to satisfy a supposed urgent need.
The victim, convinced she was communicating with her child, executed three transfers totaling 300 Turkish lira to separate bank accounts on the same day, May 13, along with 11,885 euros. In a subsequent disclosure, another victim on May 13 acknowledged transferring 3,970 euros. The losses described represent a portion of the roughly 12,000 euros extracted from the earlier victim, with the expectation that a third party would collect the money.
Investigators connected the detainees to similar frauds carried out in several cities, including Barcelona, Sant Cugat del Vallès, and Argentona, as well as locations in Lleida, Madrid, Badajoz, and Valencia.
The method remained consistent: suspects sent WhatsApp messages claiming to be a son or daughter and urged recipients to change their mobile numbers due to a supposed service issue, all while asserting the need to send money to settle pending payments.
When victims complied, funds were moved into accounts held by frontmen. Those intermediaries then withdrew cash, unwittingly playing the role of money mules in the fraud scheme.
During the operation on November 2, the Mossos dsquadra carried out arrests across multiple municipalities, including Premià de Mar, Granollers, Mollet del Vallès, Santa Maria de Palautordera, Vic, Olot, la Bisbal dmpordà, and Canovelles. After initial statements at the police station, twelve suspects were released, while five were handed over to the Court of Investigation in Mataro for further proceedings, according to the police report .