The Civil Guard, in a joint operation with Interpol and the National Police of Colombia, has dismantled an international criminal network that had defrauded more than 150,000 euros in Spain to a total of 250 victims, some in Estremadurathrough pet sales scams.
There are a total of 28 people detained and 30 investigated between Spain and Colombiato which 681 crimes are attributed, although investigations remain open and could reach a thousand, highlights the Armed Institute.
The operation has allowed the Benemérita to clarify a total of 681 criminal acts: 335 scams, 158 usurpation of marital status, 95 falsification of documents, 33 threats, 60 money laundering and membership in a criminal organization.
The organization has achieved a volume of more than 35 million euros in cryptocurrency transactions and has managed to deposit more than three million euros in cash throughout the Spanish territory.
The operation – named ‘Canmoney’ – began after a complaint of fraud, after paying for the purchase of a pet that was never received. The money obtained from the scams was deposited into bank accounts and subsequently converted into cryptocurrencies to be transferred to the organization’s accounts.
The scams They focused on the alleged sale of pet dogs offered for around 500 euros through various buying and selling portals. To gain the trust of the victims, the scammers sent usurped identity documents, previously obtained from other scammed people.
After receiving the first payment, the alleged sellers demanded a second payment and if the victim refused, they were threatened with death through messages or phone calls. The threats included intimidating images of firearms, to ensure that the victim paid for the transportation.
The first investigations culminated with the arrest of a person involved in the province of Valencia, which was the start of this macro investigation.
Cryptocurrencies were used as a “strategic tool” to make it difficult for State Security Forces and Bodies to detect illicit funds, while facilitating their integration into the legitimate financial system. A “key point” of the investigation was the involvement of the owner of a call shop, who took advantage of his work activity and knowledge of the sector to act as a front man in Spain, details the Civil Guard.
Both the owner and his partner deposited around three million euros through ATMs distributed in various Spanish provinces. These funds were later converted into cryptocurrencies and sent to hundreds of cryptocurrency addresses, making them difficult to trace.
Hierarchical structure
At the lowest levels of the organization, different people located in Spain and Colombia were in charge of opening bank accounts where the money from the scams would be deposited. In a second step, members were in charge of receiving the money, converting it into cryptocurrencies and depositing it in decentralized cryptocurrency addresses. These were in turn operated by members of the organization located in Colombia and Cameroon and the latter were the main leaders.
In the twelve searches carried out – nine in Spain and three in Colombia – the mobile phones that had been used to commit the scams and maintain contact with the victims have been confiscated. Also have been seized properties, vehicles, computers, bill counting machines, mobile and computer devices, cash, cold wallets, cryptocurrencies, illegal firearms and related documentation.
The Civil Guard has carried out the operation with the DIJIN (Directorate of Criminal Investigation) of the National Police of Colombia and Interpol, the Police Cyber Center and the National Office of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation of Interpol of the National Police of Colombia, as well as with Europol.
The victims have been identified in 43 provinces in Spain: Zaragoza, Badajoz, Castellón, Madrid, Córdoba, Huesca, Jaén, Logroño, Cantabria, Seville, Toledo, Valladolid, Cáceres, Vigo, Vizcaya, Valencia, Barcelona, Granada, Almería , Huelva, A Coruña, Albacete, Asturias, Navarra, Murcia, Alicante, Pontevedra, Guadalajara, Girona, Ceuta, Burgos, Orense, Palencia, Málaga, Álava, Ciudad Real, Cádiz, Cuenca, Zaragoza, Tenerife, Tarragona, Balearic Islands, Las Palmas and Zamora.
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