Holiday rental scam gang dismantled

Officers from the Guardia Civil, within the framework of operation “Rent scam”, dismantled a criminal organisation made up of 42 people and specialised in computer scams related to vacation accommodation.

So far, officers have arrested 29 people and investigated another 13, and it has been possible to clarify more than 128 scams throughout the national territory.

The arrests were carried out simultaneously in the provinces of Madrid, Toledo, Ciudad Real, Pontevedra, A Coruña, Valencia, Alicante, Castellón, Ibiza, Bilbao, Santander, Huelva, Cádiz, Málaga, Granada, Murcia, Barcelona and Tarragona.

The operation began last September, when the Guardia Civil detected an increase in complaints related to vacation rental scams on various specialised platforms and web pages.

With the information provided by the victims, an exhaustive study of the pages where the accommodation was offered was carried out, verifying how those responsible inserted advertisements on legal platforms and pages in which they offered accommodation at a lower price than the market to capture the attention of the victims, and then collect the money in advance.

Continuing with the investigations, the agents were able to verify the existence of a complex criminal organisation that was divided into subgroups and that operated throughout the national territory, locating and relating them to more than a hundred criminal acts.

The network operated in different groups and were led by a man with a long criminal record for computer scams who directed them from a Penitentiary Centre where he was an inmate.

Fake ads on web pages

To commit the scams, members of the organisation visited places where there are attractive properties, obtaining photographs of them to later be used by another subgroup, which was in charge of inserting the advertisements.

Another of the cells was in charge of capturing false documentation to open bank accounts where the money from the scams would end up, as well as emails and telephone lines that were associated with the advertisements. Finally, there was the network of “mules” in charge of transferring the money obtained through the criminal activity between other bank accounts and thus making it difficult to trace the money, likewise another group was in charge of withdrawing the money from ATMs.

For this reason, the agents proceeded to arrest 29 people and investigate another 13 more. The 42 members of the organisation are 12 women and 30 men, the vast majority with police records for similar events. All of them are accused of computer fraud, integration into a criminal organisation, identity theft and money laundering.

It should be noted that in one of the searches carried out in the house linked to the organisation’s management, the agents intervened numerous computers, electronic devices and documentation that is currently being analysed. Likewise, more than 75 bank accounts that the organisation used for criminal activity have been blocked.

It is not ruled out that the number of victims could be much higher, depending on the final outcome of the investigations into the equipment and documentation seized during the raids.

Recommendations:

The Guardia Civil recommend an number of actions to avoid becoming a victim of scammers like this group.

Do not carry out the rental negotiation outside the ad platform, that is, do not follow the communication through channels that are not secure or instant messaging applications, in these cases the platform will not take charge of the fraud.

Do not click on any link sent by email, it could be a computer virus.

Be wary of ads with very attractive images, in very attractive areas and at excessively low prices.

Never pay the full amount. Criminals will try to get as much money as possible. The normal thing is a deposit or reserve of 20 or 30% of the total amount of the rent.

Please read the ad carefully. Many scams are recognisable because the ad leads one to think that it is an automated message.

The contract is necessary and the receipt of the deposit as well. A contract that reflects all the necessary information is a great basis on which, if there are problems, a complaint can be established.

If it is already too late, contact the Guardia Civil, the National Police or the corresponding regional Police.

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