The National Police has dismantled a scam ring that allegedly defrauded around 140 people in Madrid out of a total of 6 million euros. Victims reports show that those on the criminals’ lists could pay to disappear from them after settling debts.
Seventeen alleged members of the network, headquartered in Spain and Colombia, were arrested and transferred to the General Directorate of Security on Wednesday, according to authorities.
The group defrauded individuals registered in default files by exploiting premium-rate numbers, meaning calls that cost more than standard rates in the telephone network.
Victims who had already paid their debts contacted the advertised numbers to request removal from the defaulters list. Each call was priced at 1.57 euros per minute, a charge that quickly added up during the process.
Investigators found that some victims made up to five calls of 30 minutes each, resulting in losses approaching 200 euros per person.
One objective of the network was to prolong the interaction for as long as possible. The leaders allegedly distributed manuals with instructions among members to optimize the scam’s operation.
The police began the investigation in late October 2019 after identifying several Spain-based networks that advertised fraudulent services related to the Access, Correction, Revocation and Appeal (ARCO) rights of consumers on various crime lists.
The individuals under inquiry acted as intermediaries between those on the lists and the National Association of Financial Institutions (ASNEF), a government-backed body that provides these services free of charge.
To attract clients, scammers reportedly paid around 1.5 million euros to position their webpage on Google, allowing them to appear at the top of results next to the official ASNEF site.
The organization operated from centers in Spain and Colombia. In the end, police arrested 17 people in Madrid, conducting six searches—three in the capital and three in the nearby town of Valdemoro.
In addition, authorities blocked 12 bank accounts and closed six websites connected to the operation.