Two rip-off cases in Barcelona in a short period of time: the scam where appearance is everything.

BarcelonaThe setting is luxurious and ostentatious, but only for show. The goal is to appear a successful businessman or a renowned collector, so they choose the ground floors of luxury hotels or rent an office with panoramic views of the city for a single moment: to defraud the victim. This is often the tactic used by specialized con artists. in the method of rip deal. Although these scams tend to be few in number—around thirty are consistently reported in Catalonia each year—the loot obtained is high.

Sub-inspector José Angel Merino, head of the Central Area of ​​Economic Crimes of the Mossos d'Esquadra, explains that scammers are always interested in buying an asset. From company shares to diamonds and luxury watches. Recently, according to ARA, two scams of this type have been reported in the city of Barcelona, ​​​​the loot of which could have reached almost a million euros—in one of the cases the rip deal was foiled.

The meeting must always be in person, and these luxurious spaces are chosen so that the victim never doubts the purchasing power of the buyers. "They usually look for an excuse to get the victim to enter their virtual wallet and at that moment they capture their credentials," explains Deputy Inspector Merino. They even record with a hidden camera while the victim types, thus obtaining the password. After a while, they enter again, steal the money, and disappear. The techniques vary, but the rip deal It is always based on a false purchase.

According to this newspaper, on March 2, two Argentine businessmen reported a scam using the method of rip deal in Barcelona. They say they were invited to a restaurant to buy part of their company. However, during the meeting, they ended up being scammed and lost $250,000 in cryptocurrency. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Spanish police) are currently investigating the matter, and no arrests have been made yet. Everything indicates that the Argentine businessmen came to Barcelona specifically to complete this transaction.

Device exchange

In fact, the second rip deal The attack was also registered in a very short time in Barcelona, also involving cryptocurrencies. In this case, the Mossos d'Esquadra managed to solve it quickly: on March 20, they arrested a forty-year-old woman as the alleged perpetrator. Instead of a restaurant, in this case, the whole thing happened in a hotel in the Eixample district. The arrested woman met with a foreign couple with the aim of making a €600,000 investment in cryptocurrencies, which they usually make with specific electronic devices.

According to the Mossos d'Esquadra, the detainee tried to defraud the victims by exchanging the device for another one with the intention of collecting the bitcoins instead of buying them. She also tried to steal a cell phone from one of the victims. When she failed to achieve her objective, she tried to flee. This, too, was unsuccessful, as a Mossos d'Esquadra patrol showed up at the hotel and arrested her. According to police sources, the woman had two judicial search and arrest warrants and a European arrest warrant in force in Germany.

High resolution

According to Merino, this type of perpetrator is common. He describes these groups as highly specialized and mobile throughout Europe. "As soon as they carry out the scam, they usually disappear; they don't have a permanent residence," explains the sub-inspector. They coordinate among five people and make "rare" hits, but with "high" prizes. In fact, each scam requires significant preparation and an investment in meals, hotels, or office space. "The staging is very important to give credibility to the victims," insists Merino.

All in all, the resolution of the scams is crucial. rip deal It is higher than other scams, at around 75%. One of the keys, Merino continues, is police coordination with European authorities and sharing information on all cases due to the high mobility of these scammers. Recently, as exemplified by the two latest cases reported in Barcelona, ​​there has been an increase in these scams involving cryptocurrencies, which makes it difficult to trace the money. According to the Mossos d'Esquadra command, they now account for between 20 and 30% of cases.