Agents of the National Police have arrested two people in the Madrid district of Salamanca, a man and a woman, who specialize in ‘Rip Deal’ scams, through the use of counterfeit bills, the National Police Headquarters reported in a statement.
The victim made an appointment with the alleged perpetrators to sell cryptocurrencies in exchange for cash, agreeing to the transaction of 20,000 euros. After showing the affected person an envelope with “numerous bills” of legal tender, he made the agreed transfer through his laptop, at which time the man exchanged the envelope for another containing counterfeit money.
The investigation began last September after receiving a complaint from a man who had been the victim of a scam. At first he made an appointment at a restaurant in the Madrid district of Salamanca to sell cryptocurrencies in exchange for cash, agreeing to the transaction of 20,000 euros.
Once at the scene, a “very well dressed” man and a woman presented themselves as his wife to gain the victim’s trust. Later they show him an envelope with a multitude of legal tender bills so that the agreed transfer can begin.
While the affected person carried out the corresponding banking operations through his laptop, the alleged perpetrator changed the envelope for another containing fake money. Once the economic transfer was carried out, both parties left the place, at which time the victim verified that the money in the envelope had no value.
As the investigations advanced, investigators were able to identify these two people, achieving their arrest just three days after the events reported when they tried to defraud another victim using the same method. For all this, they were placed at the disposal of the judicial authority as presumed responsible for a crime of fraud.
This type of scam consists of the authors setting up an appointment with people who are selling some type of property or other high-value objects. They try to gain your trust by appearing to be business people with high financial solvency.
Once the meeting has been agreed, usually in a public place, they carry out an exchange where the victims deliver the cash, cryptocurrencies or some high-value object that they have agreed upon. The scammers will first show them real bills and then, without them realizing the deception, hand them wads of fake bills.
