Police smash EUR 35m internet fraud

23 June 2004

MADRID – Spanish police smashed a gang of internet fraudsters Wednesday who netted EUR 35 million from 45,000 unsuspecting victims.

Five members of the gang, which operated in Madrid and Pontevedra, in Galicia, western Spain, were arrested.

The gang illegally charged people who used telephone numbers which started with the numbers 906, 907 and 806.

Victims were sent bills totalling EUR 3,000 on average.

The Guardia Civil operation – codenamed Sabre – started in Pontevedra and then spread to Madrid.

Victims were offered special connections through the internet to telephone lines dealing with sex, music, what’s on guides and cars if they used the prefixes 906, 907 and 806.

The gang broke the law because they did not advise customers that the lines they were calling were much more expensive than normal calls.

In law, customers should be advised if they are about to use a high-rate telephone line.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news