The Civil Guard dismantles a criminal network that defrauded almost 600 elderly people throughout Spain


The Civil Guard dismantles a criminal network that defrauded almost 600 elderly people throughout Spain

Operation "Abanterum" has resulted in the arrest and investigation of 21 people and the dismantling of the criminal network

Some of the scammed victims lost up to 100,000 euros

It is one of the largest operations of these characteristics, mainly due to the high degree of specialization of the criminal network and the profit obtained that exceeds 1,700,000 euros








The Civil Guard, in operation “Abanterum”, has dismantled a highly specialized criminal network that was dedicated to defrauding vulnerable groups, the elderly, dependents and people with disabilities.

The investigation has determined the existence of 592 victims that this network scammed in La Rioja, Asturias, Ávila, Barcelona, ​​Burgos, Cádiz, Cantabria, Galicia, Granada, León, Málaga, Madrid, Navarra, Basque Country, Segovia, Soria, Tarragona and Valladolid, obtaining the criminal organization an illicit profit of more than 1,500,000 euros.

So far, 21 people have been arrested and investigated -11 men and 10 women, natives of Spain and Argentina, aged between 23 and 49 years old and residents of Alcorcón, Getafe, Madrid, Parla and Toledo. as alleged perpetrators in different degrees of participation in the crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, fraud and falsification of commercial documents.
The members of this criminal network used aggressive sales tactics to generate confusion in the victims, with constant coercion and threats either in person or through the existing "call centers" in the premises from which they operated. In some cases, the scams have caused the economic bankruptcy of entire families after having disbursed amounts of 30,000, 50,000 and up to 100,000 euros.
A total of five searches have been carried out in companies and homes -2 in Madrid, 2 in Getafe and 1 in Mejorada del Campo-, in which numerous computers, computer material and numerous documentation related to criminal activity were intervened.
The investigation has prevented this network from using a recently acquired database in the illicit market that contained the affiliations of another 2,000 potential victims with the same profile as the scammers.

Buying identities on the black market

The criminal network acquired identity packages on the black market from people who had previously bought book collections from other companies, or had been victims of multiple scams. Once they studied them, they defined the method to defraud as much money as possible.
One of the modes of operation consisted of deceiving the victims by explaining that they had previously bought book collections from other companies and that the purchase contract obliged them to acquire the new editions so that, faced with the possibility of having legal problems, the victims they bought the collections valued between 1,900 and 3,000 euros. On one occasion, they appeared at the home of a victim, claiming to be the publisher's lawyers and urging him to pay the debt under threat of a complaint for non-payment.
If the victims had financial problems, they were offered the possibility of financing the debt by falsifying contracts from which those affected assumed the consequent contractual responsibilities.
Sometimes they doubly cheated the victims, by offering them the auction of the collections of books that had been sold to them, tricking them with oversized prices that always guaranteed that they advanced amounts ranging between 3,000 and 8,000 euros to carry out the auction.
The last step of the criminal plot was aimed at victims who had suffered various scams or abusive sales in recent years. The members of the network contacted them posing as a legal consultancy offering their services, by signing an annual contract of between € 2,400 to € 3,400.
The Abanterum operation is part of the "Greater Security Plan" carried out by the Civil Guard throughout the national territory to respond to the main threats that affect the safety of the elderly, such as abuse, robberies and scams. This operation has been carried out by the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard in La Rioja, the Technical Unit of the Judicial Police of the Command of the Civil Guard of Madrid and coordinated by the Court of Instruction number two of Haro (La Rioja).
For more information, you can contact the Press Office of the La Rioja Civil Guard Command, contact telephone number 609 428 990.

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