Two Arrested in Benidorm for Stealing €14,000 from Victim's Bank Account

Two individuals have been arrested by the National Police in Benidorm for defrauding a woman using the 'spoofing' method, extracting €14,000 from her bank account after obtaining her access codes.

The police investigation began following a complaint filed by a woman who reported receiving a call from someone posing as her bank manager. The caller convinced her that fraudulent charges had been made to her account and that she needed to provide her access codes to resolve the issue. Frightened and believing the story, she handed over her codes, after which the perpetrator made two withdrawals totalling €14,000.

The method used to commit the fraud, known in police jargon as 'spoofing', involves impersonating a bank and deceiving the victim into believing fraudulent charges have been made to their account. This allows the fraudsters to obtain access codes and subsequently withdraw money or transfer it to other accounts under their control.

Perpetrators of these crimes contact their victims via phone calls, SMS, or emails, with the fraud being completed once the victims provide the requested information, usually bank account codes or passwords.

Officers from the Benidorm Judicial Police Brigade initiated an investigation, first identifying the recipient of the stolen money, who received two transfers totalling €14,000 from the victim's account, one for €9,000 and another for €5,000.

Upon identification, the recipient was located and arrested for the alleged commission of fraud.

Individuals acting as recipients of money from such frauds and other criminal activities are known in police jargon as 'mules'. These individuals, who are at the base of criminal groups or organisations conducting these frauds, offer their bank accounts to the fraudsters in exchange for financial compensation, thus participating in the crime and being an essential part of such offences.

The officers continued their investigation, conducting various checks and ultimately identifying the fraudster, who was also arrested for the alleged commission of fraud.

The detainees, aged 43 and 55, were brought before the Benidorm Magistrates' Court on duty after police proceedings.

The National Police advises against providing any important information over the phone, email, or messaging applications, as you may be at risk of falling victim to such crimes.