The Spanish National Police have reported the arrest of a 25-year-old male suspect in Cornellà de Llobregat (province of Barcelona). He is alleged to be the mastermind behind a nationwide phone scam network that has defrauded victims of over €150,000. Preliminary investigations link the man directly to at least 20 reported fraud cases across various Spanish provinces.
## Targeting the Elderly with Precision
The investigation revealed that the criminal activity was highly targeted. Victims were primarily between 70 and 75 years old, all customers of the same bank, and generally unfamiliar with digital technologies like online banking. The scammers exploited the seniors’ fear of losing their life savings, creating false emergencies to carry out the crime with a high success rate.
## Posing as a Bank Manager to Create Panic
During the scam, the suspect used multiple different phone numbers, posing as a relationship manager from the financial institution to contact victims. Using professional banking terminology, he would falsely claim that “suspicious or fraudulent transactions” had been detected in the victim’s account. He created a tense atmosphere, insisting that immediate action was necessary, thereby breaking down the victim’s psychological defenses.
## A Carefully Designed Transfer Scam
To gain their trust, the suspect would persuade victims to move their funds to a supposed “safe account” he provided, claiming it was the only way to protect their money. Transfer methods included bank wire, card payments, or instant transfers via Bizum. To evade the bank’s automated fraud detection systems, he often instructed victims to split the total amount into multiple smaller transactions, each under €1,000.
## Using ‘Money Mules’ for Money Laundering
The police also noted that a more complex criminal network existed behind the scam. The suspect used third parties, known as ‘money mules,’ to receive and distribute the stolen funds. Some of these account holders, or ‘mules,’ participated in the crime knowingly, while others were unwitting accomplices. Their accounts became a crucial link for moving and laundering the criminal proceeds.
