MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN SPAIN ACCUSED OF STEALING THOUSANDS OF EUROS FROM WHATSAPP USERS BY CLAIMING TO BE RELATIVES IN DISTRESS.
Police arrested members of a criminal group for fraudulently obtaining nearly a million euros. The arrests occurred between February and April, according to El Pais. They face charges of fraud, money laundering, and participation in a criminal organization.
The Guardia Civil revealed that victims' transfers ranged from €800 to €55,000. About 238 victims were identified in Alicante alone. The arrests took place across several Spanish cities. This follows the January apprehension of 59 individuals in a similar scam.
The fraud involves impersonating relatives in emergencies to solicit money. The scam can escalate to trick victims into revealing authentication codes, granting access to their accounts. UK residents have also been targeted, with Nottinghamshire Police issuing a warning.
Action Fraud received over 1,200 reports of similar scams on WhatsApp, resulting in £1.5m in financial losses. It's unclear if the scams in Spain and the UK are connected.
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