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Date Published: 22/03/2022
ARCHIVED - One Brit among Spanish gang that conned 2 million euros by renting out fake apartments
Seven people have been arrested in Spain, including one Brit, for a multi-million-euro identity theft scam
The Guardia Civil police in Spain have arrested seven men of Spanish and British nationality for fraud after they allegedly swindled more than 2 million euros from their victims in 32 different provinces across Spain.
Here’s how the fraudulent scheme worked.
The gang created fake profiles pretending to be a Spanish company where they offered different services, including acting as a real estate portal. There, they coaxed their victims in by getting them interested in renting properties at a cheap price and asking for their personal details to be able to sort out the rental contract.
Of course, there was no apartment for rent and they just used the personal data to apply for bank loans, and quickly used this money to purchase high-end products like bicycles, motorbikes and vehicles from online shops. These items were then sold on second-hand platforms at a price below their real value in order to make a quick profit.
The operation to crack the case and arrest the gang began when two complaints were lodged with police by residents of the small town of Tavernes Blanques in Valencia, stating that several charges had been made to their bank accounts using loans which they had never applied for, which eventually led police to identify the suspects and put them in cuffs.
Now, the seven men are being charged with a whopping total of 353 offences of fraud, usurpation of civil status, false documentation, theft, burglary, robbery, receiving stolen goods, revealing secrets and belonging to a criminal organisation.
The Spanish provinces where they operated are Albacete, Alicante, Barcelona, Almería, Asturias, Ávila, Badajoz, Cáceres, Cantabria, Castellón, Córdoba, Gerona, Granada, Guipúzcoa, Huelva, Huesca, Jaén, La Coruña, León, Logroño, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pontevedra, Seville, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid, Vitoria, Vizcaya, Zamora and Zaragoza.
A further eleven people are being investigated for the same crime.
How to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft
Guardia Civil officers are reminding people not to send copies of their personal documents and details to anyone over the internet, and to be wary of anyone that requests it. If you do need to send a document, you should pixelate the photograph or blur out the signature, or add a watermark to the copy of the documentation you send.
You should also be wary of any products you find whose sale price is lower than their actual value and be sure to check who the real owner of the product before you buy it.
Image: Guardia Civil
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