18 people have been arrested, accused of over 100 so called ‘Nigerian Internet Scams’, revealed Guardia Civil this week. Victims were targeted in Alicante, Murcia and all over Spain through popular buy and sell sites and apps.
As well as the 18 arrests, a further 13 people were questioned since the operation began back in November 2019. An investigation was launched after Guardia Civil received a spate of complaints from citizens who had been scammed by the gang.
The modus operandi of those now under arrest consisted of contacting the victims through well-known buy and sell web portals, and after negotiating the purchase of an item, without haggling over the price and even offering more money for shipping costs, they agreed to payment when the item was delivered. Of course, once the item was delivered the money never materialised. To convince the seller that the payment had indeed been made, the scammers used email accounts impersonating the sales site, or the bank, to send false payment confirmation emails.
Once the items were received, the members of the gang sold them in second-hand shops, often using third party sellers, thus making the investigation even more difficult.
Items included mobile phones, electrical appliances, video games consoles, computers and more.
The proceeds from the sale of the items were mostly transferred to bank accounts in Nigeria.
Guardia Civil were able to confirm around 100 crimes of fraud carried out by the gang and took the opportunity to issue a series of recommendations to internet users who wish to buy or sell items onlilne.
• Always check that the page you are visiting is secure, especially if you are providing sensitive data.
• Special care must be taken with the ‘offers’ that appear on the internet. You should not trust all the promotions and offers that appear on screen or in your email inbox. Always do your research before making a purchase (a very useful resource is TrustPilot which allows you to check the legitimacy of a website or online shop).
• The Guardia Civil has special dealing with internet crime which can be found at gdt.guardiacivil.es – here you can report fraud, and find out more about internet safety.
• Other important tips include: Update your operating system regularly, always use an updated browser, choose strong and varied passwords for each internet service.
• Regularly check the transactions of your bank account if you use your card to buy anything online.
• Use an updated, licensed antivirus software and install a firewall.
• Be wary of strange messages that you receive on social networks, especially if they include a link to access other content.
• If you have a wireless router to connect to the Internet, change the default passwords and set a more secure one.