A VALENCIA-BASED gang posing as electricity inspectors conned €100,000 out of 85 elderly people across Spain.
Once they got their foot through the door, they threatened to cut off supplies and used various ruses to obtain cash, jewellery, and other valuables.
In one case in Castellon province, a man was assaulted and €1,200 in cash was stolen from him.
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Two people have been arrested and five others are being investigated for dozens of crimes, including fraud, theft, robbery with violence, and membership of a criminal organization.
The gang operated in the Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Valencia, La Rioja, Madrid, Navarra and Basque Country areas.
The Guardia Civil in Picassent(Valencia province) launched Operation Lugacoli to catch the offenders after receiving two complaints.
The scammers would show up unannounced at the homes of elderly people or approach them on the street, claiming to be technicians from an electricity firm,
They wore clothing with generic or fake logos to gain trust and said they needed to change the electricity meter immediately.
The conmen warned of an immediate power cut if payments were not made immediately.
In some cases, they demanded up to €900, either in cash or by card, even using fake card readers to obtain the PIN code and later to withdraw money from ATMs.
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The victims were always elderly people and the scammers carried out preliminary checks and called the victims by name, reinforcing the credibility of the scam.
Once in homes, they also stole jewellery, mobile phones, and other valuables.
The gang consisted of seven people living in Valencia with extensive criminal records,
The two detainees have been remanded into custody ahead of their trial.
The Guardia Civil has reiterated the importance of exercising extreme caution when there is an unexpected visitor and to be wary of anyone demanding immediate payments linked to utilities.
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