Bribes, satellites, double payouts - everything is perfect in this campaign.
The Spanish police, together with Europol, Interpol, the Spanish Tax Service and the Romanian police, have successfully completed an operation to detain suspects suspected of organizing illegal betting and manipulating the outcome of sporting events. During the operation, 23 people were arrested, including the alleged leader of the organization.
Advanced technologies in the hands of criminals
The investigation began back in 2020, when Spanish police identified a criminal network of Romanian and Bulgarian origin suspected of manipulating the outcome of international table tennis tournaments. Criminals bribed athletes, including football players from Romania, and made large bets on the outcome of matches.
However, during the investigation, the police discovered another clever method used by the criminal group. Scammers used satellite technology to get live broadcasts of matches a few seconds earlier than this information reached legitimate bookmakers. This made it possible to place bets, already knowing the outcome of the matches.
The Group used this method for betting on matches of the Asian and South American football leagues, Bundesliga games, the UEFA Nations League, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as well as ATP and ITF tennis tournaments. Bets were placed on other people's names to avoid suspicion. Figureheads then collected the winnings on behalf of the group. In addition, the criminals bribed a trader in a large bookmaker company to successfully validate bets.
Operation results
During the searches, 2 properties, 3 luxury cars, 2 large satellite dishes and signal receivers, 47 bank accounts, 80 telephones, cash and counterfeit banknotes worth €13,000 were seized.
Interpol noted that criminal groups use every opportunity to extract benefits. In this case, we are talking about an advantage of 20-30 seconds, which led to significant revenues.
The Spanish police, together with Europol, Interpol, the Spanish Tax Service and the Romanian police, have successfully completed an operation to detain suspects suspected of organizing illegal betting and manipulating the outcome of sporting events. During the operation, 23 people were arrested, including the alleged leader of the organization.
Advanced technologies in the hands of criminals
The investigation began back in 2020, when Spanish police identified a criminal network of Romanian and Bulgarian origin suspected of manipulating the outcome of international table tennis tournaments. Criminals bribed athletes, including football players from Romania, and made large bets on the outcome of matches.
However, during the investigation, the police discovered another clever method used by the criminal group. Scammers used satellite technology to get live broadcasts of matches a few seconds earlier than this information reached legitimate bookmakers. This made it possible to place bets, already knowing the outcome of the matches.
The Group used this method for betting on matches of the Asian and South American football leagues, Bundesliga games, the UEFA Nations League, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as well as ATP and ITF tennis tournaments. Bets were placed on other people's names to avoid suspicion. Figureheads then collected the winnings on behalf of the group. In addition, the criminals bribed a trader in a large bookmaker company to successfully validate bets.
Operation results
During the searches, 2 properties, 3 luxury cars, 2 large satellite dishes and signal receivers, 47 bank accounts, 80 telephones, cash and counterfeit banknotes worth €13,000 were seized.
Interpol noted that criminal groups use every opportunity to extract benefits. In this case, we are talking about an advantage of 20-30 seconds, which led to significant revenues.
