The Guardia Civil has deployed a major operation against a cyber scam network in the province of Alicante and across Spain, targetting a group that defrauded more than one million euro through fake SMS messages and phone calls.
Operation Ibermellow has resulted in 29 arrests and 57 further individuals being investigated. Officers located members linked to the scheme in Alicante, as well as in other areas including Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona, Murcia, Malaga, Seville, and Zaragoza.
The investigation has attributed 43 offences of fraud, money laundering, and membership of a criminal organisation to the group. Currently, all 43 identified victims reside in Aragon, with 25 in Huesca, 11 in Zaragoza, and seven in Teruel.
The fraudsters combined two types of scam known as smishing and vishing. First, victims received a text message simulating an alert from their bank regarding a supposed large charge, which provided a telephone number to call to cancel the transaction.
When victims called, criminals posing as bank managers used social engineering and pre-acquired personal details to build trust. They tricked victims into granting access to their accounts, making transfers to accounts controlled by the gang, or even taking out personal loans to divert funds.
Stolen funds were cycled through multiple accounts to hinder tracking, with cash eventually withdrawn from ATMs in Barcelona, Madrid, and Murcia. The Guardia Civil identified numerous money mules who permitted their accounts, virtual wallets, or personal details to be used in exchange for a commission, along with recruiters, cash withdrawers, and leadership figures.
The first phase of the operation in March dismantled a centre in Badalona, Terrassa, Carabanchel, and Cartagena capable of sending over 100,000 SMS messages per hour. Five suspected leaders were arrested, and officers seized 57,520 euro in cash, luxury items, 365 SIM cards, 176 bank cards, 95 mass-messaging machines, 70 mobile phones, and related documents.
A second phase targeted money laundering mechanisms, enabling the Guardia Civil to recover 256,708 euro held in various accounts under the suspects’ control. The overall operation led to a further 24 arrests and 57 investigations spanning numerous provinces, including Alicante, A Coruna, Alava, Avila, Badajoz, Barcelona, Cantabria, Cadiz, Cordoba, Girona, Granada, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia, Ourense, Salamanca, Seville, Tarragona, Toledo, Valladolid, Valencia, and Zaragoza.
Police remind the public to distrust text messages containing links about bank alerts, verify notifications through official banking applications or legitimate phone numbers, and note that banks never ask for passwords, PINs, or full access codes over the phone.
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