The National Police have arrested a thirty-nine-year-old man in Alicante on suspicion of committing eight fraud offences and one of document forgery. This individual reportedly defrauded elderly victims at cash machines using a well-known scam method known as ‘seeding’, leading to financial losses amounting to twenty-eight thousand five hundred and eighty-seven euros. Notably, eighteen thousand six hundred and eighty euros were stolen from a single victim.

The investigation, led by officers from the Judicial Police of the Provincial Commissariat of Alicante, was initiated following multiple reports from individuals aged between seventy and eighty-two, who noticed fraudulent transactions on their bank accounts. Victims reported that while using cash machines of the same bank, a young man approached them, offering assistance. The suspect convinced them to use the contactless payment feature instead of inserting their cards, observed their PIN numbers as they entered them, and in a moment of distraction, substituted their cards with those he had previously stolen from other victims.

With the stolen cards in his possession, the arrested individual made cash withdrawals, purchased items in stores, and executed bank transfers. In one instance, he transferred large sums of money to a bank account he opened using counterfeit documents, thus committing an additional crime of document forgery. Furthermore, at the time of his arrest, he was found to be carrying a counterfeit driving licence of another nationality.

Through meticulous surveillance, officers were able to identify and locate the alleged fraudster in the area of El Albir, Alicante, where he was ultimately arrested. The man has since been placed at the disposal of the Benidorm investigative courts.