The Spanish National Police has dismantled a criminal organization specialized in committing fraud using the "CEO fraud" deception and has arrested 15 of its members: nine of them in Madrid, five in Albacete and one more in Valencia.
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The police investigation has managed to link this network to numerous transfers of fraudulent origin, with an approximate value of 850,000 euros, as well as a business network dedicated to receiving and later laundering the money they received.
The investigation began when numerous national and international transfers were detected -to countries such as Germany, Chile, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Jamaica Pakistan, Russia, Sweden and Taiwan- all of them of fraudulent origin, and with an approximate value of 850.00 euro.
These first indications led to uncovering the existence of a criminal network dedicated to receiving fraudulent bank transactions for subsequent laundering.
During the month of November, 15 individuals belonging to the criminal network were arrested as alleged perpetrators of the crimes of fraud, money laundering, illegal possession of weapons, ammunition deposit, home invasion, arbitrary execution of one's own right, injuries and belonging to criminal organization.
Six entries and searches were made at homes and commercial premises where nine individuals were arrested in Madrid, five in the Albacete towns of Hellín and Isso and one more in Valencia.
In the searches that were carried out in the homes of the detainees, 154,000 euros in cash were found, numerous mobile phones, five vehicles and a high-end motorcycle, a bulletproof vest, several uniforms and emblem plates of the Civil Guard, lights emergency and police acoustics.
"CEO fraud" is a type of technology scam whose objective is to deceive authorized government employees to issue payments in both SMEs and large companies. Criminals impersonate your identity through an email interfering in negotiations between different companies.
This is how they manage to trick the recipient into making a transfer of funds for her when the victim believes that she is making a payment to a legitimate customer.
These accounts to which company payments were diverted were in the name of a person who provided their data to open bank accounts at the service of fraudsters.
As a result of the police operation in which various units such as canine guides, TEDAX-NRBQ and the technical interventions operational group (GOIT) collaborated, the 15 members of the criminal network were placed at the disposal of the judicial authority in an operation that remains open for which does not rule out new arrests. ■
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