The Civil Guard has arrested 29 people and is investigating another 57 in an operation launched after several complaints were filed in Huesca.
The Civil Guard has dismantled a cyber fraud ring that allegedly defrauded 43 people in Aragon of more than one million euros . As confirmed by the Civil Guard, Operation Ibermellow resulted in 29 arrests and another 57 people under investigation in various provinces for alleged crimes of fraud, money laundering, and membership in a criminal organization.
The investigation began last year after numerous complaints were filed in Huesca with a similar pattern. The criminals used smishing and vishing techniques to impersonate banks and gain access to victims' money.
A fake SMS message led to a call from the scammers.
The procedure began with the sending of a fake SMS alerting the victim to supposedly large charges on their bank account. The message included a phone number the victim was instructed to call to stop the transaction. Subsequently, the scammers contacted the victim by phone, impersonating bank representatives and using previously obtained personal data to lend credibility to the deception.
In this way, they tricked victims into making transfers to accounts controlled by the organization or even into taking out personal loans, the money from which was ultimately diverted. The Civil Guard has so far identified 25 victims in the province of Huesca , 11 in Zaragoza, and seven in Teruel.
Analysis of bank transactions revealed that the money passed through different accounts to obscure its traceability and was ultimately withdrawn from ATMs in Barcelona, Madrid, and Murcia. The investigation also identified so-called "money mules," individuals who provided their bank accounts or personal information to the organization to move the money in exchange for a commission.
In addition to these individuals, the agents identified those responsible for recruiting the mules and collecting the cash, as well as those in charge of the operation. At the top of the organization were the fake bank managers and the person in charge of the center from which the mass text messages were sent.
More than 100.000 messages per hour from the dismantled center
In the first phase of the operation, carried out last March, raids were conducted in Badalona, Terrassa, Madrid, and Cartagena. Agents dismantled a call center capable of sending more than 100.000 text messages per hour and arrested five people considered to be members of the organization's leadership.
During these searches, 57.520 euros in cash, luxury items, 365 SIM cards, 176 bank cards, 95 devices intended for mass sending of messages, 70 mobile phones and various documentation related to the investigated activity were seized.
A second phase allowed authorities to target the money laundering network and recover €256.708 deposited in various bank accounts. This part of the operation resulted in 24 more arrests and 57 people under investigation in numerous Spanish provinces.
The investigation was carried out by the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police and the Arroba Team of Huesca, with the collaboration of other units of the Civil Guard. The proceedings have been sent to various courts in Aragon, including those in Jaca, Caspe, Daroca, La Almunia, Tarazona, Zaragoza, Alcañiz, Calamocha, and Teruel.
The Civil Guard reminds the public that, upon receiving messages alerting them to suspicious bank transactions , they should not click on any links or install any applications. They also recommend verifying any alerts directly through the bank's official app or via their usual phone number, and never providing passwords, PIN codes, or complete bank details over the phone.
