An 86-Year-Old Woman's Report Uncovers a Romantic Scam Network with Links to Alicante

The report of an 86-year-old woman has enabled the Civil Guard to unmask an international criminal organisation of 'love scammers' operating from Nigeria across six Spanish provinces, including Alicante. The 'Operation Doyun' concluded with the arrest of 14 alleged members of the network, who laundered the profits in Spain, according to a statement from the Government Delegation in Ávila.

The octogenarian, "with social media knowledge and fluency in English," alerted authorities to a fraud of 353,952.15 euros and informed them of her relationship with the scammer, who used a fake profile posing as a famous television actor. She also told officers that, over several months, the alleged criminal gained her trust through daily conversations, sending fake photos, and making affectionate promises, only to later deceive her into making multiple bank transfers under false pretences, such as supposed family emergencies or non-existent investments.

Many of these profiles, according to the investigations, impersonated identities of young and attractive men, and even fictional characters based on successful series, with the sole aim of emotionally manipulating victims to obtain large sums of money. Once the deception was complete, the money was quickly dispersed among multiple bank accounts in various financial institutions, making it difficult to trace.

The investigation, which analysed more than 100 bank accounts from 20 different entities, including electronic payment platforms, allowed the reconstruction of the illicit economic flow and the discovery of links with other potential victims both in Spain and abroad. According to the information provided, a fundamental part of the organisation's structure was based in Nigeria, from where communications with victims were initiated through social media and messaging.

These meticulously crafted conversations and contacts managed to build a relationship of trust that was later exploited to obtain funds. Meanwhile, the transfers were received in Spain by different group members, who were responsible for money laundering through bank accounts and electronic platforms.

The operation was executed last March, resulting in the arrest of 14 individuals in the provinces of Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Madrid, Cartagena, and Vizcaya. Several of those arrested had prior police records for similar scams.

The detainees are of Nigerian, Malian, and Spanish nationality. Among the latter are elderly women, "who were contacted by the organisation and used to facilitate the movement of defrauded money," according to the Government Delegation in Ávila.

The ages of those arrested range from 25 to 40 years, but there are also individuals over 60. Authorities believe that some of those involved were themselves victims of "emotional manipulation" before becoming participants in the laundering of illicit funds.

During the investigation, a judicial freeze on bank accounts in multiple financial institutions was requested, and as a result of this action, approximately 45,000 euros have been recovered from the accounts used by the network to launder money. Technical measures were also taken on bank accounts, mobile devices, and social media profiles, which helped to unmask the complex financial network of the scams.

The crimes under investigation include fraud, money laundering, and membership in a criminal organisation, with specialised agents in cybercrime and money laundering actively participating in the analysis of electronic transactions and the reconstruction of the money flow.