chushpan
Professional
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A high-profile police operation has uncovered a scheme of mass extortion and fraud in Spain. The plot centers on a call center discovered in Alicante, whose employees “processed” victims around the clock according to two well-established scenarios: the so-called “webcam story” and “son in trouble”.
Investigators began an investigation after receiving a complaint from a man who paid six thousand euros to several different accounts under threats of violence. The threads of the case led to Alicante, where unsuspecting people were called 24 hours a day in an ordinary-looking apartment. Clients were found through fake dating sites: after registration and a short correspondence with the “girl”, the contact was abandoned, but the potential victim’s number had already fallen into the hands of the scammers.
Then the “operators” of the extortion scheme got in touch, posing as representatives of criminal structures. With the help of shocking videos — scenes of violence and even amputations — they intimidated people, claiming that they had “made the girls from the site waste their time” and now allegedly owed them a large sum. Such a blatant display of cruelty often broke the will of the victims, forcing them to transfer money to the specified accounts.
However, the criminal creativity did not end there. In parallel, the group carried out massive adventures according to the “son in trouble” scheme: the attackers wrote on behalf of the victims’ children, reporting sudden troubles — be it a car breakdown or an emergency situation with the loss of documents. The pseudo-“children” tearfully begged to transfer money, and the gullible parents often responded, unaware of the substitution.
The scammers themselves used a carefully thought-out system of distributing roles. The so-called “mules” (drops in our language) opened bank accounts to deposit “dirty” money. Often, these were people in difficult life situations or those whom the criminals themselves brought to a presentable appearance before visiting the bank. "Captors" or "recruiters" were engaged in searching for such "mules", promising them a reward. "Extractors" quickly withdrew the funds received, and the "voices" sitting behind the phones directly played the roles of "threatening nemeses" or "excited children" to deceive the victims.
The leader of the organization, according to the investigation, received over two million euros, transferring the bulk of the funds into cash. As a result of the special operation, 73 people were detained. Seven, including this leader, have already been sent to prison.
The police confiscated about 250 thousand euros (including 60 thousand in cryptocurrency), several firearms, as well as drugs, 90 mobile phones and documentation indicating the multidisciplinary nature of the gang. 129 bank accounts were blocked, three properties and more than 20 cars were seized.
It is quite remarkable that the mother of the alleged leader of the group was involved in the case, acting as the official owner of several shell companies and hairdressing salons through which the proceeds were laundered. As a backup, the leader's grandmother also accepted the money - she took the sums from apartments and passed them on further down the chain.
Investigators began an investigation after receiving a complaint from a man who paid six thousand euros to several different accounts under threats of violence. The threads of the case led to Alicante, where unsuspecting people were called 24 hours a day in an ordinary-looking apartment. Clients were found through fake dating sites: after registration and a short correspondence with the “girl”, the contact was abandoned, but the potential victim’s number had already fallen into the hands of the scammers.
Then the “operators” of the extortion scheme got in touch, posing as representatives of criminal structures. With the help of shocking videos — scenes of violence and even amputations — they intimidated people, claiming that they had “made the girls from the site waste their time” and now allegedly owed them a large sum. Such a blatant display of cruelty often broke the will of the victims, forcing them to transfer money to the specified accounts.
However, the criminal creativity did not end there. In parallel, the group carried out massive adventures according to the “son in trouble” scheme: the attackers wrote on behalf of the victims’ children, reporting sudden troubles — be it a car breakdown or an emergency situation with the loss of documents. The pseudo-“children” tearfully begged to transfer money, and the gullible parents often responded, unaware of the substitution.
The scammers themselves used a carefully thought-out system of distributing roles. The so-called “mules” (drops in our language) opened bank accounts to deposit “dirty” money. Often, these were people in difficult life situations or those whom the criminals themselves brought to a presentable appearance before visiting the bank. "Captors" or "recruiters" were engaged in searching for such "mules", promising them a reward. "Extractors" quickly withdrew the funds received, and the "voices" sitting behind the phones directly played the roles of "threatening nemeses" or "excited children" to deceive the victims.
The leader of the organization, according to the investigation, received over two million euros, transferring the bulk of the funds into cash. As a result of the special operation, 73 people were detained. Seven, including this leader, have already been sent to prison.
The police confiscated about 250 thousand euros (including 60 thousand in cryptocurrency), several firearms, as well as drugs, 90 mobile phones and documentation indicating the multidisciplinary nature of the gang. 129 bank accounts were blocked, three properties and more than 20 cars were seized.
It is quite remarkable that the mother of the alleged leader of the group was involved in the case, acting as the official owner of several shell companies and hairdressing salons through which the proceeds were laundered. As a backup, the leader's grandmother also accepted the money - she took the sums from apartments and passed them on further down the chain.
