Regulation of unwanted calls
Although there is a rule that regulates unwanted calls, since they do not work as expected, we must take special account of certain offers that, through this type of calls, can arrive.
A recent case in Gavà
An example is found in Gavà (Barcelona) where the Mossos d’Esquadra have just arrested a couple of 22 and 31 years old on the accusation of a continuous crime of fraud. What were they doing? They impersonated workers from supply companies or banking entities to offer certain services, obtain bank details and perpetrate scams. It is estimated that they could have earned up to 250,000 euros.
Investigation and arrest
The investigation began in March 2023 around two fraud complaints filed at the Gavà police station. The perpetrators of the scams, by telephone and a few months apart, had posed as an alleged worker from an electrical company and a worker from a financial institution and had managed to deceive their victim, who made two refunds to the bank accounts. indicated by the interlocutors. It should be mentioned that the perpetrators had the victim’s personal information, which is why they had not raised any suspicion when carrying out the scam. The efforts carried out by the investigators made it possible to identify the owners of the accounts where the fraudulent transfers had been made. The agents managed to find out that the main investigator had previously worked in a telemarketing company, which is why he had had access to personal data of the clients of this company and that he had used it illegitimately to convince his victims in the story used. However, the investigators were certain that the main investigator, in connivance with the detained woman, who also interacted directly with the victims, had turned this mechanism into a criminal activity that continued over time and that they had recruited a group of people, receiving bank account holders, necessary for the consummation of the crime. These people, except for an agreed amount, delivered the money to the final recipient, the main person under investigation. The agents managed to identify a total of 26 people who owned these accounts.
Modus operandi and scope of scams
The agents located a total of 31 fraud reports, since March 2023, with a total of more than 254,000 euros defrauded, throughout the Catalan territory, directly related to the main people investigated. Their modus operandi was always the same: by telephone and through deception, they posed as workers from service companies, banking entities or justice officials, with the aim of fraudulently obtaining money with bank transfers into receiving bank accounts. The victims did not suspect the deception until it was too late, since the perpetrators of the scams had personal data and gave them confidence. Likewise, the agents found out that those investigated had the need to constantly stock up on prepaid telephone cards, which they subsequently associated with mobile terminals and that, to hinder the police investigation, they ended up replacing them with new ones.
Impersonation of justice officials
The two main investigators, aware that these scams were being investigated, repeated calls to the victims and presented themselves on behalf of lawyers, prosecutors or any other legal figure, to confuse the victims and thus once again obtain an illicit transfer. On May 8, under the supervision of the Barcelona Investigative Court, an entry and search was carried out at the home of those investigated. As part of the search, the agents collected numerous evidence related to the investigation, such as 18 prepaid phone cards from different companies. However, they managed to recover three mobile phones that they had thrown out of the window to try to get rid of them moments before the search. Finally, investigators arrested the man and woman as alleged perpetrators of a continuing crime of fraud.