The Judicial Police (PJ) and Spanish authorities have arrested 54 people who defrauded more than 80 elderly people, causing the victims damages estimated at 2.5 million euros, Europol reported on Tuesday.
In a note published online, the European police agency said the operation took place across the Iberian Peninsula on June 4, with the participation of the SP representing Portugal, as well as the Spanish National Police and Mossos d’Esquadra on the Spanish side. 19 raids were carried out, resulting in the seizure of physical and digital evidence of the crimes.
Forty suspects were detained in Spain, three were detained in Portugal and are awaiting extradition to Spain.
According to Europol, the scams were based on a pattern of fraudulent phone calls and social engineering – a method of psychological manipulation to carry out actions that are then used to the advantage of the suspects to siphon money from the victims.
“One of the main targets was caught red-handed and arrested when police entered the home. He was sitting in front of his computer with the bank details of one of his victims on the screen. In addition to collecting computers, mobile phones, SIM cards and freezing bank accounts, agents at the scene also found marijuana and cocaine in the premises they searched,” the report said.
Some elderly people have lost their savings and others have been forced to deliver money to their doorsteps after initial scam calls (vishing) as a criminal network systematically targets elderly Spanish citizens.
“After obtaining some basic information, the impostor shared it with other members of the criminal network, who showed up at the victims’ doors. By putting pressure on the victims using intimidation tactics and social engineering, the fraudsters took possession of payment or credit cards and extracted PINs and bank details. In some cases, the criminals also broke into the victims’ homes, stealing money and valuables,” Europol reported.
The embezzled money was placed in several bank accounts in Spain and Portugal, and members of the network sought to conceal the illicit origins of the funds through an “extensive network of money mules.”