This team from the Alicante Civil Guard, known as Team @, dismantled a network of accused cybercriminals involved in sophisticated fraud schemes. Authorities report losses of at least 188,000 euros across eleven companies based in Alicante and six other provinces, linked to a cyber fraud operation called Business Email Compromise, or BEC, which targets corporate email interactions. In the operation led by Elche Instruction Court No. 3, twelve suspects were detained in Manresa, near Barcelona, and an additional case involved fraud against users of a consumer-to-consumer website dealing with personal item sales. The coordination of the case lies with Elche Civil Court No. 3, with impact spread across the Alicante province involving three companies from Alicante, Crevillent, and Muro.
The investigation began in January 2022 following a formal complaint. A Crevillent-based shipping company reported losses exceeding 37,000 euros. The claim described a cyber attack that intercepted emails directed at a supplier, redirecting payments to alternative bank accounts controlled by the criminals.
Cyber fraud of this kind is identified as BEC, an advanced scheme that blends phishing, vishing, and social engineering to deceive business partners. Perpetrators pose as representatives of supplier firms, sending invoices to customers that prompt transfers to fraudulent accounts controlled by the criminals.
The Alicante Civil Guard Team @ led the inquiry, later analyzing more than fifty bank accounts and hundreds of transactions. This activity showed a highly active group operating on national soil and moving substantial sums of money through varied channels.
victims
Beyond the Crevillent defrauded company, investigators identified two additional victims in Alicante and Muro, plus eight more across several other regions, including Madrid, Granada, Asturias, Murcia, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Malaga. The stolen funds, amounting to 188,000 euros, were redirected to other bank accounts in Spain and Lithuania and were laundered through cryptocurrency arrangements.
Investigations revealed that the criminals also exploited the identity of an elderly person and created multiple profiles on person-to-person sales platforms. A fraud event totaling 2,800 euros affected seven buyers. Additional complaints emerged from the Balearic Islands, Burgos, Lleida, Valencia, Barcelona, Vizcaya, and Girona.
In the deceit, the criminals contacted potential buyers, inviting them to leave the original platform and continue negotiations privately. When buyers moved to private payment channels, the crime ring instructed them to complete purchases via a mobile payment platform. After payment, the buyers received no goods and lost contact with the scammers.
Civil Guard investigators identified twelve members of the network with residences in Manresa. The operation’s final phase, conducted between September 28 and 30, included arrests and searches supported by the Alicante Command Technological Research Team and the Citizen Security Unit. Two searches were carried out in Manresa, yielding computers, mobile devices, bank documents, and other materials for further analysis. All detainees are male, aged 19 to 24, of Moroccan and Spanish nationality.
Crimes
The Civil Guard accuses the group of multiple offenses, including fraud, money laundering, breaches of communications confidentiality, identity theft, and participation in a criminal organization, with varying levels of involvement among the suspects.
The leaders of the organization have been handed to the Manresa security court for arraignment, while others remain in custody with restrictions against leaving the country and requirements to appear regularly in court. Seized items related to the police operation have been submitted to the Elche No. 3 Instruction Court for further processing.