Scam 13,000 euros from pedestrians with the false robbery trick

BarcelonaThe formula was always the same: simulate an emergency to ask for financial help, assuring he would return it with a transfer. In reality, it was always a lie disguised as a theft of documentation or money and a fake bank transfer document. In less than a year, a 20-year-old man obtained 13,000 euros from good-faith pedestrians who wanted to lend him a hand. The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested him last week, accusing him of eight scams and robbery with force.

In September of last year, the young man positioned himself around Sants station – and also in Esquerra de l'Eixample – looking for victims among the numerous users who use the facility every day. He always acted the same way to avoid raising suspicion: he would approach pedestrians and tell them a well-rehearsed story to end up asking them for money to catch a train and go home. He would say that his money had been stolen and he had no documentation, but at the same time, he promised to return the money right there to reassure the victims. How did he convince them? He would show them on his mobile screen a banking application or a falsified payment receipt that certified the immediate transfer. This way, pedestrians would go to the nearest ATM, withdraw cash, and give it to him.

Once he had the loot, the young man would hastily slip away, claiming he was in a hurry not to miss the train, before the non-existence of the transfer could be verified and, therefore, the money had never reached the victim's account. Although in most cases the young man tricked them by gaining their trust, the police are aware of a case where he used intimidation to obtain the money. The investigation remains open, and the Catalan police do not rule out that there may be more affected individuals, for which reason they are calling on any citizen who has been a victim of a similar scam to go to the police station to file the corresponding complaint.