Driving licence swindle derailed

AN INVESTIGATION led by Guardia Civil in Santa Pola has uncovered a scam that made over € 50,000 by selling fake driving licences over the internet.

So far 40 victims have been located all around the country.

The gang had been offering licences for prices that ranged between € 800 and € 3,000. The first complaint by a person who had been conned was made in July 2019.

They claimed that an advert on the internet promised they would not have to take a test, or if one was taken the candidate would automatically pass.

To apply, it was required to send a photocopy of their ID, two photos and a blank piece of paper with their signature, and to pay a sum of up to € 2,300.

All communications were carried out using a well- known messaging service with a person who claimed to live in Gran Canaria.

When the licence did not arrive, the victim’s queries were passed to the ‘ boss’, who claimed everything was in order but customs had retained some documents and more money was required to recover them. By the time the victims realised they had been conned, it was too late to get their money back. Payments were always made to one of two bank accounts via transfers or cash machines, without revealing any information about the holder’s identity.

Investigation of the accounts and documentation enabled officers to identify the suspects.

They arrested two men aged 22 and 47, and are investigating four others ( 27, 35, 53 and 57) on suspicion of fraud, document forgery and belonging to a criminal organisation. The Guardia Civil found over 600 advertisements offering the gang’s services, which used 200 different email addresses in order to make them more difficult to track down.