These Investment Scammers Made €19M By Hitting Victims Three Times!

Spanish police have nabbed six people behind an audacious cryptocurrency scam that not only used AI-generated celebrity deepfakes but remarkably managed to trick the same victims three separate times, ultimately stealing more than €19 million ($20.5 million).Spanish Police Bust €19 Million Crypto Scam That Tricked Victims Three Times OverThe scammers didn't just hit and run – they kept coming back for more. After initially duping victims with fake investment schemes, they later posed as recovery specialists offering to retrieve the stolen funds for a fee, then circled back a third time, pretending to be Europol agents demanding "tax payments" to release the supposedly recovered money.The joint operation by Spain's National Police and Civil Guard led to arrests across Granada and Alicante provinces, where the alleged ringleader was preparing to flee to Dubai before being caught. The suspects, aged 34 to 57, now face fraud, money laundering, and document forgery charges.“During the investigation, a total of 208 fraud crimes have been clarified and more than 100,000 euros of the total money defrauded from the victims have been blocked for the moment,” the Spanish police commented.#OperacionesGC |

Apr 8, 2025 - 07:48

These Investment Scammers Made €19M By Hitting Victims Three Times!

Spanish police have nabbed six people behind an audacious cryptocurrency scam that not only used AI-generated celebrity deepfakes but remarkably managed to trick the same victims three separate times, ultimately stealing more than €19 million ($20.5 million).

Spanish Police Bust €19 Million Crypto Scam That Tricked Victims Three Times Over

The scammers didn't just hit and run – they kept coming back for more. After initially duping victims with fake investment schemes, they later posed as recovery specialists offering to retrieve the stolen funds for a fee, then circled back a third time, pretending to be Europol agents demanding "tax payments" to release the supposedly recovered money.

The joint operation by Spain's National Police and Civil Guard led to arrests across Granada and Alicante provinces, where the alleged ringleader was preparing to flee to Dubai before being caught. The suspects, aged 34 to 57, now face fraud, money laundering, and document forgery charges.

“During the investigation, a total of 208 fraud crimes have been clarified and more than 100,000 euros of the total money defrauded from the victims have been blocked for the moment,” the Spanish police commented.

#OperacionesGC |