National Police arrest 44 in online fraud operation

The National Police have arrested 44 people in an investigation into a suspected online fraud and money-laundering network that operated in Tarragona and Barcelona, according to the police investigation reported by La Ciutat on Saturday.

Officers carried out four searches in Tarragona and five in Barcelona. The investigation linked the network to at least 146 victims across Spain and reported losses exceeding €430,000. For residents, the case concerns scams using fake bank calls, fraudulent rental adverts and counterfeit ticket offers.

Bank impersonation, false rentals and ticket offers

Investigators believe the group used several methods to obtain victims' money and banking information:

Vishing: telephone calls in which suspects allegedly posed as bank employees to obtain online banking credentials.
Smishing and phishing: fraudulent text messages and fake websites designed to capture personal and bank details.
False adverts: offers for non-existent rental homes and fraudulent tickets for concerts and large events.

Residents receiving an unexpected call claiming to be from their bank should not share login details. Anyone considering a rental or event ticket should check the seller and payment arrangement before sending money.

Investigation began with a Bitcoin complaint

The inquiry began in May 2024 after a victim reported losing 0.5 bitcoins in an alleged online scam. Investigators followed the funds and said suspects converted part of the proceeds into cryptoassets to make their origin harder to trace.

Cases initially treated as separate were later connected through data analysis, which linked 146 complaints to the same alleged criminal structure.

During the searches, officers seized €3,410 in cash, cryptoassets valued at about €54,000, 57 bank cards, 43 SIM cards, 24 mobile phones, four computers and five USB drives. They also found 773 grams of hashish, an extendable baton and a katana.

Those arrested are under investigation on suspicion of fraud, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organisation. The seized electronic material will be examined by investigators.

Reported by laciutat.cat, La Ciutat.