A Granada resident fell victim to a sophisticated scam, losing 25,000 euros after being duped into believing his email password had been changed. The Guardia Civil’s efforts led to the arrest of seven cyber fraudsters across Granada, Malaga, Barcelona, Valencia, and Zamora. These individuals, employing the technique called ‘SIM swapping,’ collectively swindled 3,381,000 euros from victims nationwide.
The fraudulent scheme involved impersonating victims to duplicate their mobile phone SIM cards. Once successful, the criminals disrupted the victims’ phone service, enabling access to personal information. They seized control of various applications, including social media, email accounts, and digital banking, exploiting verification SMS to authenticate transactions.
Operating under the Telematic Crimes Team of the Granada Guardia Civil Command, investigators uncovered crucial details after a resident of La Zubia reported the loss. Their probe revealed that two Venezuelan citizens residing in Malaga were behind the scam.
