The Civil Guard has dismantled a criminal organization specializing in holiday scams that was composed of 42 people, 30 men and 12 women, and led by a man, 32, who ran the network from the prison of Navalcarnero with the help of his partner who had just died of an illness. In this operation, more than a hundred criminal acts have been clarified in different parts of Spain, including the island of Ibiza, for scams that were carried out in a computer way.

So far, 29 people have been arrested and 13 others have been investigated. More than 128 scams have been clarified throughout the national territory, especially in Madrid, but also in Toledo, Ciudad Real, Pontevedra, A Coruña, Valencia, Alicante, Castellón, Ibiza, Bilbao, Santander, Huelva, Cádiz, Malaga, Granada, Murcia, Barcelona and Tarragona.

The operation started from the increase in complaints related to scams on several specialized platforms and websites. The Civil Guard carried out an exhaustive study of the pages and found that a price lower than the market price was offered to capture the attention of the victims, who were charged the money in advance.

A network of mules was responsible for transferring the proceeds of crime between various bank accounts and thus hindering the trace of the illicit benefit, while another group was responsible for extracting it from ATMs and others involved, with false documentation, opened bank accounts, created emails and registered telephone lines.

The mastermind of the plot is in provisional prison for a crime of fraud after ignoring several judicial requirements. It is a man of Spanish nationality who has recognized that he is addicted to gambling and that he committed crimes with his partner, a neighbor of Toledo who has just died during the investigation.

The agents seized numerous computers, electronic devices and documentation, and more than 75 bank accounts have been blocked. The investigation has been coordinated by judicial and fiscal bodies and has been developed by the Computer and Telematic Crimes Team (EDITE) of the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police and the so-called "@ Teams", all dependent on the Command of the Civil Guard of Madrid

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