The Civil Guard has dismantled an organization for extorting more than 100 victims throughout the national territory through the publication of fictitious advertisements on online dating platforms with sexual content. In the operation, 34 people have been arrested and another 27 have been investigated in various locations in Valencia.
According to the armed institute, its agents have carried out seven home searches in Valencia, Burjassot, Alfafar, Sedaví and Tous, where 50 mobile phones, bank cards, 6,505 euros in cash, 180 grams of hashish, 281 grams of marijuana and 164 grams of amphetamines, in addition to prohibited weapons (extendable defense, personal defense spray and large machete) and spy cameras.
In the operation, jewelry, watches, computer and electronic equipment have also been seized, as well as false documentation used by the alleged perpetrators and documentation from third parties, bank cards in the name of extortion victims and economic ‘mules’. In addition, inspections have been carried out in call centers in Valencia that the organization used to register more than 500 telephone lines with false identities.
The organization published fictitious ads on online dating platforms with sexual content. The clients of these services made calls to the supposed dating house in order to arrange a meeting, at which time the injured parties became victims of the organization from whom they demanded money payments.
The organization thoroughly investigated the privacy of the victims in order to obtain all possible information for later use. Once the data was collected, they made a phone call posing as members of Eastern mafias, angry because they had wasted their time. They even showed their victims videos of tortured people who refused to pay.
Sometimes they would extort victims until their funds were exhausted and then require them to take out personal loans until they were completely ruined.
The payments made by the victims were deposited into bank accounts of people who acted as economic mules, giving up their personal data in exchange for an economic benefit. These people were recruited on the street by members of the organization who held higher hierarchical positions, which made investigation difficult.
One of the leaders of the organization, a regular at gambling establishments and betting houses, used these establishments to launder a large part of the money that the injured parties deposited into the accounts of the economic mules.
Through the cash dispensers available in these places, they managed to circumvent the limitations established by banking entities for withdrawing money from ATMs. In this sense, two workers from a betting house are being investigated for their alleged collaboration in money laundering.
One of the victims, after being extorted by the organization, had to be treated for months by specialized psychologists, who diagnosed her with serious psychological consequences. Another of the victims was kidnapped in the town of Benasal (Castellón), where she was forced to get into a van. They placed a plastic bag over her head and a large knife to her neck and forced her to go to the bank to withdraw all the money from her bank account.
Likewise, it was detected that the organization also carried out banking scams by impersonating the security department of various financial entities. The scammers, through phishing campaigns, obtained the victims’ banking details and accessed their bank accounts. One of these victims turned out to be an elderly woman over 70 years old suffering from Alzheimer’s.
To date, from the analysis of more than 100 financial products used by the organization, more than 100 possible victims have been detected who have not made the decision to file a complaint due to the fear instilled by the perpetrators of the events.
The criminal organization could have obtained an economic benefit of more than 250,000 euros. The detainees are charged with the alleged crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, money laundering, extortion, kidnapping, injuries, fraud, robbery with force, document falsification, illicit possession of weapons and crimes against public health.
The arrests have taken place in various Valencian towns: Alfafar, Burjassot, Benigamin, Chiva, Llíria, Manises, Sedaví, Sagunto, Tous, Valencia and Xátiva. The proceedings have been delivered to the Court of First Instance and Instruction Number 4 of Moncada (Valencia).
