The Civil Guard **has rescued an octogenarian** who had been isolated from his family by members of a criminal network based in Bizkaia, forcing him to beg and using him in internet scams, with some victims in the Canary Islands who lost over 36,000 euros. In the operation, carried out by the Civil Guard, **18 people have been arrested in Bizkaia and one in Burgos**, while three others are under investigation, as reported by the armed institute in a statement. So far, 121 victims of fraud and ten of identity theft have been identified in Tenerife, Las Palmas, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, Cadiz, Alicante, Almeria, Balearic Islands, Gipuzkoa, Lleida, Tarragona, Zaragoza, Albacete, Murcia, Leon, Badajoz, Avila, Lugo, Granada, Ourense, Cordoba, Caceres, Castellon, La Rioja, Alava, Burgos, Jaen, Girona, Toledo, and A Coruña. The investigation began after a complaint in February 2025, when a person reported being scammed after paying 280 euros for the supposed adoption of a puppy advertised online, without ever receiving the animal or recovering the money. The criminal group, based in Bizkaia, posted ads for the sale or adoption of animals and demanded progressive payments from their victims with various pretexts: vaccines, transport, microchip, cage... through bizum payments or bank transfers. The organization **used multiple phone lines, bank accounts**, and false or stolen identity documents to deceive buyers. Agents detected 57 bank accounts and 23 phone lines linked to the organization, which were subsequently judicially blocked. The alleged perpetrators used part of the money obtained from the scams, along with a fraction of the social benefits they received - Income Guarantee and Minimum Vital Income - to invest in cryptocurrencies valued at over 55,000 euros. The Civil Guard estimates **over 560,000 euros in unduly received social benefits.** Three members of the organization, who belonged to a family clan, also kept an octogenarian under their control, having isolated him from his family and forcing him to beg, and had also opened numerous bank accounts in his name to commit scams. The detainees are charged with the crimes of continuous fraud, money laundering, usurpation of civil status, belonging to a criminal group, human trafficking, and physical abuse without injury.
