"You have two pending receipts, or you pay or we cut the power right now." Thus a network, now dismantled by the National Police, scammed at least 110 freelancers and small businessmen , who cheated more than 100,000 euros demanding the immediate payment of the last two electricity bills.

The network operated from Parla and Ciempozuelos , as reported by the General Directorate of the Police, and in the operation 20 people who were posing as personnel of electricity supply companies have been arrested to demand immediate payment of the last two bills by telephone of the light, supposedly unpaid, under threat of cutting off the supply at the same time.

In the operation, six registrations have been carried out in the Madrid towns of Parla and Ciempozuelos, in which more than 80,000 euros have been intervened in cash and various falsified documents.

The dismantled organization, which scammed more than 100,000 euros, took advantage of the times when the restaurants were more crowded, or the butchers had more gender , to generate more fear in their victims of the power outage.

The first investigations took place last November, when researchers detected several scams with similar "modus operandi" in Mérida.

Given these facts, the agents detected that behind these scams was a criminal organization , structured on three levels, which operated from the aforementioned municipalities of Madrid.

Wire transfer

In the first level of responsibility were the members of the plot who bought prepaid mobile phones , discharged on behalf of third parties outside the investigation.

Posing as employees of electricity companies , they made calls to managers of hospitality companies, food stores and butchers, among others, and reported that the electricity supply would be cut on the same day of the call, due to a default of the two Last invoices

They would not do so if they made an urgent bank transfer by debit. The recipients of the call, fearing the economic damage that could cause them to run out of electricity, proceeded to make the payment to bank accounts controlled by members of the organization that acted as "mules."

In the second ranking of responsibility were those in charge of locating people who, in exchange for a small economic percentage, made their bank accounts available to the organization to receive the money obtained from the scams.

Also, on the third level were the visible faces of the scams , those responsible for extracting scammed money.

After the identification of all the members of the organization, the investigators proceeded to their arrest and to the entry and registration of six buildings in Parla and Ciempozuelos.

The agents seized various bank documents , listings with personal data of electricity supply, forged documents, seven mobile phones, 80,100 euros and credit cards in the name of the "muleros".

In case of receiving a call of these characteristics, the National Police recommends not making any payment, contacting the company through the telephone number on the invoices and warning the Police through 091 in case of any suspicion

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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