Law enforcement authorities publicly disclosed that a centralized criminal network has been dismantled after thirteen suspects were arrested in two major regions, Seville and Valencia. Investigators linked the arrests to extortion schemes carried out through a fictitious online dating presence, featuring deceptive advertisements crafted to lure users into compromising situations. Authorities reported that the scheme exploited more than 350,000 euros before the operation was halted. A broad set of seizures accompanied the arrests, including 15 mobile devices, three computers, seven thousand five hundred euros in cash, a luxury vehicle, and more than 125 SIM cards used to sustain the fraudulent operations. These details highlight the scale and organization behind the crime and reveal the pathways through which illicit funds moved within a network. [Police statement]
According to the allegations, the suspects posted counterfeit advertisements that depicted women seeking sexual contact via online channels. After a user engaged, the group maintained contact through instant messaging or telephone conversations to collect personal information and build trust before pushing the coercive phase forward. The operation proceeded in stages, beginning with identifying potential victims and cultivating rapport through controlled messaging. [Legal records]
A few days into the scheme, individuals posing as the women’s supervisors reached out to victims directly, demanding a substantial payment for the time spent and for alleged damages. This tactic created heavy psychological pressure, exploiting concerns about social judgment and potential harm to reputation to extract payments. The organization reportedly layered security measures to hinder police detection and to obscure the origin of the funds. [Investigation notes]
To minimize direct contact and complicate tracing, the group relied on social networks and intermediary accounts described as mule networks. They used these channels to move money through bank accounts opened under other people’s names and conducted small, incremental transactions to stay under scrutiny. Victims were instructed to deposit extorted money into these auxiliary accounts via Bizum or bank transfers. This multi-tiered approach generated confusion for investigators and helped conceal the involvement of the core operators. [Forensic findings]
The funds then followed a rapid funnel: members of the organization withdrew money and redirected it into various accounts or converted proceeds through cryptocurrency wallets, effectively cleansing the finances. The money trail showed a pattern of swift cash moves paired with on-chain activity aimed at masking the money’s origin. In the operation’s initial phase, authorities detained the primary suspect under a temporary detention order and conducted a thorough search of the person’s residence. The search produced 15 mobile devices, more than 100 phone cards, computers, 7,500 euros in cash, and a high-end vehicle. [Judicial orders]
In the second phase, attention shifted to detaining individuals acting as mules who supplied their bank accounts to the organization. These participants played a key role by enabling the financial transactions that connected the extortion scheme to a wider network. The successful capture of these affiliates marked a turning point in crippling the group’s operational capacity and in tracing the monetary trail that linked many victims to the criminals. [Operational update]