An operation by the National Police has culminated in the arrest of 42 individuals, 34 men and 8 women, in the province of Valencia. These individuals are alleged members of an organization dedicated to scams using the well-known 'child in distress' method, through which they reportedly defrauded a total of 221,477 euros in 46 registered cases across various parts of Spain.
The investigation, carried out by the Cybercrime group of the Provincial Judicial Police Brigade of Valencia, began in June 2025. This action was a response to an increase in complaints related to this type of deception, which are carried out through instant messaging applications.
“"The investigation has allowed for the identification and location of the alleged perpetrators, all of whom reside in the city of Valencia and its province."
In addition to the arrests, agents have managed to block several fraudulent transfers totaling 18,924 euros. This amount has been returned to the victims before the network could withdraw the funds.
The 'child in distress' scam involves fraudsters contacting victims by impersonating their children or direct relatives. To lend credibility to the deception, they claim to be writing from a friend's phone after having lost or damaged their own, and urgently request money to resolve a supposed emergency or purchase a new device. Once the victim makes the first deposit, the criminals usually insist with new pretexts to obtain more transfers, thus prolonging the scam and increasing the financial damage.
The investigation has also revealed the existence of bank accounts used as recipients of the money, opened in the name of so-called 'mules'. These individuals collaborate with criminal organizations by allowing funds to be moved and making it difficult for investigators to trace the money.
