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Europa Press
Malaga
Tuesday, 11 March 2025, 18:05
National Police officers in Spain have dismantled a roving criminal group that specialised in 'rip deal' scams - a type of fraudulent scheme where victims are tricked into thinking they are part of a legitimate transaction or deal, but end up losing money or valuable assets. The suspects, detained as part of several police operations, swindled victims of up to 348,000 euros in various locations in Spain (Marbella, Madrid and Alicante) over the course of 2024.
The 'rip deal' technique consists of contacting people who have property or valuables for sale, meeting them and, after gaining their trust, arranging a transaction, during which the perpetrators exchange facsimile banknotes for legal ones.
The suspects used this strategy all over Europe, demonstrating a high degree of itinerancy and specialisation.
The first resolved crime happened in January 2024, when the suspects held a meeting with the victims at a central hotel in Madrid. They had managed to gain their trust through multiple phone calls, as well as several meetings in Barcelona and Madrid. Relying on psychological manipulation, they swindled the victims out of 160,000 euros.
Police officers used the fingerprint left on the side of a glass during the meeting to identify one of the suspects. While he was arrested at Barcelona Airport, his partner in crime remains a fugitive.
In June 2024, the police were alerted to a similar crime in Alicante that had caused the victim an economic loss of 38,000 euros. However, this time the victim became aware of what was happening, prompting the perpetrators to use violence against them, steal their jewellery and even drag them along in a vehicle.
The investigators were able to arrest the three people involved in the case thanks to the screenshots of the conversation that the victim provided, among other evidence. They also carried out a search at a house in Tarragona, where they seized several watches, jewellery and mobile devices.
The next incident in this 'rip deal' series took place in Marbella in July 2024. The victims had a rural property for sale and, after receiving numerous calls from different telephone numbers beginning with Italian prefixes, they held a meeting with the interested parties.
The meeting took place in a luxurious restaurant in Marbella, where one of the perpetrators proposed to hand over 500,000 euros in cash and 165,000 euros more in 200-euro notes, while the victim was to return 150,000 euros in 50 and 20-euro notes. As with previous cases, the victim was given facsimile banknotes.
After receiving a complaint, the investigators set up a sting operation near the Marbella restaurant. They identified and arrested the suspects with the help of Europol.
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