The Guardia Civil in the Region of Murcia has launched Operation ‘Flash Back’, an investigation aimed at clarifying a suspected fraud perpetrated against two agricultural companies located in Mazarrón and Níjar. So far, five individuals are under investigation for charges including fraud, illegal access to computer systems, falsification of public documents, identity theft, and membership in a criminal group.

The operation was initiated last August when the legal representative of a company in Mazarrón reported being defrauded. It is alleged that unknown individuals impersonated another company, which was owed nearly twenty-four thousand euros, altered the bank account number on the unpaid invoice, and fraudulently collected the funds. Following this, another agricultural company in Níjar reported a similar incident, suffering losses exceeding twelve thousand euros.

Investigators discovered both fraud cases involved the ‘Man in the Middle’ technique. This method entails intercepting digital communications between companies to obtain confidential information for financial gain. Using social engineering techniques, the cyber fraudsters accessed the email systems of the companies and gathered information about commercial transactions, later modifying the pending invoices to divert payments.

Authorities tracked the stolen funds, which were promptly transferred to bank accounts belonging to a resident of Roquetas de Mar. Subsequently, several of the suspects withdrew the money through gaming establishments in Roquetas de Mar and La Mojonera. The operation remains ongoing as the Guardia Civil continues to investigate the case in collaboration with judicial police and citizen security specialists from the Almería command.