Alex Trelinski
SEVEN people have been arrested on the Costa Blanca for being part of a phone scam where 42 victims across Spain were conned out of €100,000.
The gang leader was detained in Benferri in July, with computer equipment removed from his home for analysis.
Three others are still under investigation.
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The 18-month Guardia Civil probe- named Operation Banalic- started in January 2024 after several people in Alicante province started complaining about suspicious phone calls.
The fraudsters impersonated bank officials and even used genuine bank phone numbers to display on phone devices.
Victims were called under the pretence that they were being offered technical assistance and were persuaded to validate bank transactions or provide one-time access code numbers.
The criminals then quickly made transfers from the accounts to their own banks.
People were conned all over the country including residents in Almeria, Cadiz, and the Balearic Islands.
The Guardia investigation uncovered a network of ‘mules’ employed by the gang leader who withdrew or transferred the fraudulently obtained money.
Last December, officers carried out a first wave of arrests in Pilar de la Horadada and Algorfa- detaining some of the ‘mules’ as well as their handlers.
The following months were spent following digital and financial trails which resulted in the gang leader’s detention in July.
Investigations are still continuing with the Guardia not ruling out further arrests.
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