Alex Trelinski
A fake website offering fast money loans with no background checks scammed 86 people out of €500,000 in the Valencian Community in over 100 fraudulent financings.
Nine people have been arrested by the Guardia Civil in the Alicante and Valencia areas, with a further two under investigation.
A scam victim from Monada complained to the Guardia that she used the website to get a €1,000 loan but soon got a €4,000 bill for electrical work that she never ordered.
Investigations uncovered a substantial fraud with six banks and finance companies hood-winked by the fraudsters.
Loan applicants were asked to enter their phone number on the bogus web portal and one of the gang members called them to get all their personal details.
The scam was based out of a business in Lliria with the owner using the information to negotiate loans with banks far higher than requested by an applicant.
In each case, the banks were told the money was needed for an electrical installation or electrical appliances.
The scammed people did get what they asked for, but were then hit with a much-bigger bill.
The Guardia Civil have urged people to be cautious before doing business with a web-based business, especially if they are not aware of their background and are making offer that appear to be too good to be true.
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