The Guardia Civil has solved a banking fraud involving 76,620 euro suffered by a 72-year-old woman in Altea, after suspects impersonated her identity and took control of her mobile phone line. The operation resulted in the arrest of a 22-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man on suspicion of fraud and membership of a criminal organisation.
The investigation, carried out by the Judicial Police Team of Altea under operation ‘Joya26’, began following a report by the victim, who noticed that 76,620 euro had disappeared from her bank account.
Initial enquiries confirmed that someone had used her identity to port her mobile phone number to another company and subsequently requested a change of ownership. These actions coincided with fraudulent access attempts recorded on her bank account.
Once they had control of the victim’s phone number, the suspects accessed her online banking platform and requested three debit cards linked to the account. They used these cards to make purchases and transfers using various identities, telephone numbers and addresses.
Investigated transactions include 26,200 euro spent on a high-end gold watch collected at a jewellery shop in Alicante. Furthermore, they spent over 41,000 euro on electronic devices and games consoles picked up at establishments across different Spanish provinces.
Investigators also traced 9,915 euro transferred to an online betting platform, alongside 2,415 euro used to purchase five gold coins.
In total, the Guardia Civil identified 14 separate orders of tech equipment picked up by different individuals, alongside numerous transfers between those involved. According to the investigation, these movements indicate an organised structure with distinct roles, where some members fraudulently secured control of phone lines whilst others spent and moved the stolen funds.
The enquiries culminated in the arrest of two suspects in Vallecas (Madrid) and Picassent (Valencia). Both have been released, with proceedings forwarded to the relevant Instruction Section of the Court of First Instance in Benidorm.
The investigation remains open, and the Guardia Civil has not ruled out further action. Officers advise the public to pay close attention to any unexpected phone service interruptions, as this can indicate fraudulent line porting, to regularly check bank account activity, and to report suspicious transactions immediately.
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