The Guardia Civil has arrested the leader of an organised group of scammers in Elche who targeted victims using the well-known “child in distress” method. This scam involves sending messages to the mobile phones of victims, pretending to be their children in order to ask for money.
By using this tactic, the fraudsters manage to convince victims to make bank transfers under the false impression of an emergency. The investigation began following a complaint filed in Castellon, which enabled officers to map out the structure of the group by tracing the money trail across various provinces.
Investigators discovered that the money transferred by the victims was immediately distributed among different bank accounts and then subjected to further transactions to conceal its origin.
A total of seven people have been arrested, including a 39-year-old man in Elche who is considered the key figure in managing and coordinating the group’s financial operations. The arrest was carried out in collaboration with the Guardia Civil of Santa Pola. The suspects are accused of fraud, money laundering and membership of a criminal gang.
