Overview
- The arrests were made in Sant Adrià de Besòs after a multiweek probe identified the ring’s operational hub in the Barcelona area.
- The case began in A Coruña when a resident reported unauthorized transactions totaling €9,500.
- A Coruña’s provincial technology crime unit led the investigation and tied together 16 complaints across Spain, including in Madrid, Valladolid, Zaragoza, Melilla and other cities.
- The suspects allegedly used social engineering to obtain SIM duplicates from carriers and then intercepted two-factor authentication codes to enter bank and personal accounts.
- Police advise anyone who suddenly loses mobile service to contact their operator immediately to recover the line, noting criminals often seek cash withdrawals or cryptocurrency purchases.