A National Scam Resolved Thanks to a Fingerprint on a Glass

Agents of the National Police have dismantled a mobile criminal group specialized in scams using the well-known 'rip deal' method, which involves handing over counterfeit bills in a sale. The officers have arrested six individuals and clarified three criminal acts committed in Madrid, Alicante, and Marbella, through which the suspects obtained up to 348,000 euros.

In addition to a high degree of specialization, the organization did not hesitate to use violence to seize the loot. In Alicante, they did not hesitate to drag the victim along the ground when she resisted handing over the money.

The first clarified incident dates back to January 2024. At that time, the suspects held a meeting with the victims in a central hotel in Madrid. After gaining their trust through numerous phone contacts and several meetings in Barcelona and Madrid, they managed to defraud them of 160,000 euros using the 'rip deal'.

Following the corresponding report of the events, the officers managed to obtain a fingerprint from the side of a glass used during the meeting by one of the perpetrators. This allowed for their identification, location, and arrest upon arrival at Barcelona airport. However, the operation was still ongoing.

Six months later, in June 2024, the officers became aware of another criminal act in Alicante. On this occasion, the suspects failed to carry out the scam during the meeting, which led them to steal the victim's jewels, even dragging her in a vehicle.

Thanks to the police efforts and the images provided by the victim - screenshots of the conversations held - of one of the perpetrators, the officers managed to identify and arrest the three involved. They also conducted a search in a Tarragona residence where they seized several watches, jewels, and telecommunication equipment of interest to the investigation.

Last July, a new scam occurred, causing a loss of 150,000 euros. The victims had a rural estate for sale. After receiving numerous calls from different phone numbers with an Italian prefix, they held a meeting with the interested parties. The meeting took place in a luxurious restaurant in Marbella where, when signing the deposit contract, one of the perpetrators proposed handing over 500,000 euros in cash and an additional 165,000 euros in 200-euro bills, provided the victim returned 150,000 euros in 50 and 20-euro bills. The scam was consummated when the victim agreed to make the exchange, receiving facsimile bills.

Upon learning of the events, after several efforts aimed at identifying the perpetrators, a police operation was set up around the location where the bill exchange was to take place. The officers managed to seize several bundles of 200-euro facsimile bills inside the backpack carried by the victim. Finally, with the collaboration of Europol, the investigators arrested the two alleged perpetrators of the scam.