Two Investigated for €19,000 Fake Mortgage Scam in Tenerife
Two residents of Tarragona are under investigation by the Civil Guard for orchestrating a sophisticated phishing scheme that defrauded victims of nearly 19,000 euros through a fake mortgage services website.
Digital financial scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, according to a recent investigation by the Civil Guard’s @ Teams in Tenerife. Two residents of Tarragona, aged 43 and 47, are under investigation for running a fraudulent website that impersonated a legitimate bank to trick victims into paying for fake mortgage services.
The victims lost nearly 19,000 euros after signing contracts that had no legal standing. The scammers used social engineering to create a convincing digital platform that mimicked a real financial institution. They persuaded victims to pay various "fees" to finalize loans, then funneled the money into private bank accounts completely unrelated to the bank they were impersonating.
The Civil Guard’s cybercrime specialists tracked the money trail after receiving a complaint. They confirmed that the person who signed the contracts was not an employee of the bank and that the destination accounts were fraudulent. By working with the Judicial Police in Salou, the Tenerife team successfully located the suspects in Tarragona, where legal proceedings are now underway.
This case highlights the growing danger of "phishing," where criminals create fake websites to steal money through advance payments for services that do not exist. The Civil Guard urges the public to always verify the legitimacy of any financial intermediary before transferring money, as brand impersonation has become a primary tool for online fraud.