The Guardia Civil has launched an investigation into fifteen individuals suspected of conducting fraud amounting to three hundred and ninety-three thousand euros. The investigation focuses on the use of ‘smishing’ and ‘vishing’ techniques, where perpetrators impersonate legitimate entities like banks and public administrations to make unauthorised charges to victims. The actions are part of the Plan Levante initiative, encompassing operations in various locations including Alicante, Murcia, Madrid, and Zaragoza.

In the first operation, thirteen individuals have been implicated in alleged crimes of fraud, money laundering, and belonging to a criminal organisation. These individuals operated from locations such as Alicante and Cartagena, and were identified after a fraudulent transfer of three hundred and sixty-eight thousand euros to a company in Zaragoza was detected in two thousand and twenty. The fraudulent scheme involved contacting victims via SMS, claiming the need to reactivate access codes to bank accounts, thus gaining unauthorised access.

The fraudulent activities extended to sending funds through shell companies to various accounts across countries including Belgium, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Estonia, the United Kingdom, and Malta. In a separate operation, one man has been investigated for acting as an ‘economic mule’, where he opened bank accounts to receive funds from vishing scams impersonating a bank, totalling seven thousand five hundred euros.

Finally, another investigation revealed a suspect in Alicante who misappropriated over eighteen thousand euros via a ‘business email compromise’ method. The individual modified the bank account number of a business partner to redirect commercial transfers to accounts controlled by cybercriminals. The Guardia Civil encourages the public to report theft, fraudulent charges, and scams via their website or electronic headquarters.