The Civil Guard has initiated proceedings against a resident of Arrecife as a person of interest, for defrauding nearly 10,000 euros from a resident of Valverde de Leganes (Badajoz) through the method known as son in distress.
The investigation began when a resident of the Valverdeña town contacted someone via instant messaging who pretended to be his daughter, stating that her phone was broken, while urgently requesting money to resolve a supposed financial problem.The victim, convinced by the deception, made a cash transfer for a total amount of 9,850 euros to the bank account indicated to themSubsequently, he was able to communicate with his daughter, who revealed that she had not sent any messages and had not asked for money, thus confirming that he had been scammed. He immediately reported the incident to the Guardia Civil, who initiated an investigation by the team from the Badajoz Command.
During the investigations, telephone and digital evidence, as well as tracking of bank movements, were analyzed with the collaboration of financial entities and telecommunications operators, and it was possible to identify the telephone terminal from which the scam was carried out and the account where the money was sent.
The team's swift action, in coordination with the courts and banking entities, managed to block all the defrauded money, which was held for subsequent recovery.
A resident of the town of Arrecife
The development of the investigation allowed the identification of the alleged perpetrator of the acts, a resident of the town of Arrecife, holder of the destination account for the defrauded money.
With the collaboration of the Civil Guard team from Lanzarote, in official premises, proceedings were initiated against him as a suspect for an alleged fraud offense and sent to the Court of Instruction of Olivenza
The Civil Guard reports that this type of fraud consists of impersonating a close relative, usually a son or daughter, with the aim of emotionally manipulating the victim and getting them to make urgent bank transfers to accounts controlled by the perpetrators of the deception.
To avoid falling for these types of scams, it is recommended to be wary of urgent messages or calls asking for money, even if they seem to come from family members. Verify the identity of whoever appears to be asking for help and never give personal or banking information to someone who requests it via messages or calls, among other things.Furthermore, if you suspect anything, contact your bank, and if you are a victim, report it and file a complaint as soon as possible.
