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Guardia Civil Detains Suspect in €137,000 Bank Spoofing Scam With €69,000 Recovered

The case spotlights a hybrid social‑engineering tactic that blends spoofed texts with remote‑access apps.

Overview

  • Investigators say a company in A Louriña lost €137,000 after a fake bank text appeared inside its real message thread and a follow‑up call convinced staff to install a remote‑control program.
  • Police report the callers posed as bank staff using internet phone services from abroad, then moved the money through several recipient accounts to slow any clawback.
  • The Guardia Civil secured court orders to freeze target accounts and recovered about €69,000 before more transfers could clear.
  • Officers detained a Barcelona resident as the suspected organizer and opened inquiries into four account holders as alleged money mules, with the case now before the court in O Porriño.
  • In a separate warning case, a 71‑year‑old in Ponteareas lost €18,340 after a video call from impostors in Guardia Civil uniforms, prompting advice to avoid installing software on instruction and to contact banks only through official channels.