Phishing fraudsters arrested

GUARDIA Civil officers arrested three people on suspicion of multiple counts of 'phishing' - illegally obtaining bank users' account and card details

On March 2, a San Juan resident filed a report at the town’s Guardia Civil station stating that he was a victim of an alleged fraud in which €412 was taken out of his bank for an online purchase that he had not made.

During their investigation, officers located three people who had allegedly obtained details of 15 credit cards, from various banks.

They obtained these details by sending emails posing as the bank claiming there was an security failure in their online banking system.

Victims where sent to an external web page requiring them to enter their card and online banking details.

This information was then used by the fraudsters to buy items online, which was delivered to an address in Almería.

They then resold these products on the black market at a considerably lower price.

The suspects allegedly managed to carry out banking transactions valued at over €7,000.

Officers travelled to Almería on August 10 to arrest the three people, managing to clear up a total of 20 scams with victims all over Spain, including Barcelona,

Madrid, the Balearic Islands and Segovia.

Investigations continue to determine the possible involvement of the three suspects in another 50 similar scams.

The detainees, two men aged 21 and 23 and a woman of 43, who are all Spanish, have been released pending further court proceedings.