Guardia Civil arrest prolific online scammers
At least 40 of their victims have been located throughout Spain
GUARDIA Civil officers have arrested a 32-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman for continued online fraud.
So far around 40 victims have been located throughout Spain, with the monies defrauded amounting to around €5,000.
Guardia Civil agents in San Juan, Alicante, started an investigation after receiving reports related to online fraud allegedly committed by a business domiciled in the town.
This company is dedicated to repairing and selling accessories for video game consoles and computers. They did not have premises open to the public, but advertised their services on their web page and social media.
Once customers made contact, they were offered different payment plans, but these always involved payment upfront. The majority of orders were for video game controllers priced between €80 and €200, but customers never received their purchase.
At first, the owner of the business would attend to all the calls and emails complaining that orders hadn’t arrived, but soon after he stopped all communication with customers.
When officers initiated their inquiries, they realised, after examining bank accounts, social media postings and queries made to consumer offices, that they were dealing with a nationwide fraud.
They found complaints lodged with police in Alicante,
Valencia, Castellón, Murcia, Madrid, Guipúzcoa, Vitoria, Barcelona, Tarragona, Mallorca, Ibiza, Burgos, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Islas Canarias, Granada and Sevilla, with around 40 people affected by the scam.
In fact, officers found that they had investigated the man back in 2017, for a similar offence, using the same company name. He had continued scamming online, and lived a comfortable life together with his wife, who is allegedly involved as well.
The couple were arrested in their San Vicente del Raspeig home, for an alleged continued fraud offence, and were released with charges.
The investigation is still open as could be more victims coming forward, with officers believing there could be as many as 100 people affected.
Anybody who has fallen victim to an online fraud, however little the amount in question, should report it to the authorities.