The Policia Nacional have recovered €2million that was stolen from a luxury real estate company in Marbella after it fell prey to a sophisticated cyber scam.
The money had been sent to the bank accounts of organised cybercriminals, but rapid police action and international cooperation allowed investigators to secure the funds before they could be moved.
The fraud involved advanced social engineering techniques, including smishing and vishing scams.
These methods combine fake SMS messages and phone calls designed to impersonate bank officials in order to gain the victim’s trust.
The case came to light after a complaint was filed at the Marbella police station by a company specialising in high-value property sales that had fallen victim to the multi-million-euro scam.
According to investigators, the fraud began when a worker received a text message appearing to come from the firm’s bank.
The message warned of an alleged ’email change process’ and instructed the recipient to call a phone number if the change was not recognised.
When the representative called the number, they spoke to someone posing as a bank manager who claimed there were fraudulent transactions taking place on the company’s account.
Under the pretext of cancelling the supposed suspicious transactions, the fake banker asked the victim to provide verification codes sent via SMS.
Once the codes were shared, the criminals gained access to the company’s online banking system.
They then carried out several transfers totalling €2 million to bank accounts located in the Netherlands.
The swift response from investigators was crucial in preventing the money from disappearing.
Police activated international judicial and law enforcement cooperation mechanisms, allowing authorities to freeze four bank accounts abroad and secure the stolen funds before they could be distributed.
Several agencies were involved in the operation, including cybercrime officers from the Policia Nacional in Marbella, the Central Cybercrime Unit, Interpol, Spain’s anti-money laundering authority Sepblac, the Prosecutor’s Office for International Cooperation and liaison magistrates.
The affected bank and the duty investigating court also played a key role by urgently issuing the legal orders required to freeze the accounts.
How to avoid cyber scams
Police have warned the public to remain vigilant against similar cyber fraud attempts.
Authorities advise people never to share personal or banking information through links received by SMS or email, and to always verify suspicious communications by contacting their bank through official channels.
They also recommend being wary of messages that create a sense of urgency and encourage immediate action.
Anyone who suspects they may have been targeted by a scam is urged to contact the Policia Nacional immediately.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
