Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Police have broken up a criminal network accused of stealing more than €1.14 million from bank customers through fake SMS alerts, in an operation that led to 43 arrests and searches in Cádiz and Madrid.
The group is alleged to have targeted 130 victims, most of them over 65, by sending messages that appeared to come from the fraud-prevention departments of their banks. Officers say the texts warned of supposed suspicious activity and pushed recipients towards phone numbers or websites controlled by the suspects.
According to investigators, the scam was designed to look genuine enough to persuade victims to act quickly and transfer money before checking with their bank. In some cases, the people targeted were tricked into making several payments, with one victim losing more than €45,000.
Threats when victims realised what was happening
Police said the operation did not always end once the deception was discovered. Some victims who became suspicious were later sent intimidating messages that referred to personal details and home addresses, in an apparent attempt to stop them from reporting the fraud.
Investigators believe the group used a private messaging app to organise the mass sending of fraudulent texts. Officers analysed up to 400 channels and groups during the inquiry.
The operation has so far linked the network to 134 offences. Along with the 43 arrests, another 13 people gave statements as suspects, bringing the total number of people under investigation to 95.
Open investigation
Police said the suspects face allegations of criminal organisation, fraud and money laundering, tied to both the recruitment of victims and the movement of the money obtained through the scam. The inquiry remains open and further arrests have not been ruled out.
The action forms part of a wider police effort against impersonation scams that exploit trust in official-looking bank messages, with investigators warning that the apparent sender may not be genuine even when a message looks familiar.
