The Spanish Civil Guard dismantles a criminal organization dedicated to online scams with the sale of medical supplies
The Civil Guard, within the framework of operation NITRIMAX, has proceeded to arrest four people and investigate another belonging to a criminal organization dedicated to online scams with the sale of medical supplies. Those responsible are attributed the alleged authorship of numerous crimes of fraud, identity theft, false documentation by offering health products and air conditioning devices through the internet, posing as real companies, swindling up to now about 22,000 euros.
Beginning of the complaint investigation in Lanzarote
The investigation began as a result of a complaint filed in July of last year on the island of Lanzarote, in which a businessman reported the scam of more than 9,000 euros in the purchase of medical supplies against COVID-19 (masks, gel and gloves).
Apparently, they sold medical devices through various buying and selling websites and, after gaining the trust of their victims by sending product samples and “proforma invoice” type documentation in the name of real merchants, they managed to receive the payment of the products offered, which they never sent to the injured parties.
Likewise, to avoid their identification, they elaborated a network of real identities usurped from immigrants and nationals to mask their true identity, in addition to making use of real merchants and their falsified documentation to give the appearance of legality to the supposed offers of products to through the internet, thus achieving enough deception on their victims.
In addition, they took advantage of the existing shortages to offer essential health products.
After analyzing the data obtained at the national level, the agents were also able to locate in the provinces of Melilla and Alicante several injured parties scammed with the sale of air conditioning devices that followed the same “modus operandi”.
Exploitation phase arrests and searches in Madrid and Bilbao
Although this scam was initially detected on the island of Lanzarote and the alleged perpetrators carried out this network on an itinerant basis between the provinces of Madrid and Bizkaia, the tracking carried out by the Civil Guard of the economic movement generated by the scam, together with the analysis of the media, contacts and bank accounts used by the criminal group to commit the scams, would lead to locating the alleged perpetrators in Madrid and Bilbao, municipalities in which 3 entries and searches were carried out in which numerous were intervened computer devices, mobile phones, identity documents, among others.
So far, the analysis of the intervened devices and documentation continues, subsequently locating new victims and members of the criminal group, since the result of the initial analysis contemplated the possibility of opening an investigation with other countries of the European Union. and South America with the aim of knowing the final destination of part of the capital defrauded from the victims.
The operation has been carried out by the People-EDITE Team of the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police (UOPJ) of the Las Palmas Comandancia with the collaboration of the Citizen Security Unit (USECIC) of the Tres Cantos Comandancia (Madrid). ), the Tres Cantos Main Post (Madrid), the Judicial Police Organic Unit and the Biscay Command Reserve Unit.