In the Catalan capital, police have arrested a 33-year-old man who, for several months, had been deceiving sellers on popular online marketplaces. He used counterfeit €50 notes to purchase electronics and other valuables, then quickly disappeared from the scene.
The perpetrator meticulously planned each operation: to register on websites he created fake accounts, used fictitious names, and provided false phone numbers. For every new deal, he set up a separate email address to avoid leaving traces. He would then contact sellers and arrange meetings in crowded locations—most often at metro stations in Barcelona or Sant Adrià de Besòs.
During the exchange, the fraudster handed over a stack of counterfeit bills so expertly made they could hardly be distinguished from real ones at first glance. After receiving the item, he would immediately leave the meeting place, using the metro for a fast getaway. The goods he acquired were quickly resold to third parties to cover his tracks.
Victims only discovered the scam when they tried to deposit the money into a bank account—at which point the bank informed them the notes were fake. In a short period, the man managed to deceive at least seven people, with damages exceeding €3,000. The investigation revealed the detainee was linked to over 60 fraud cases and about 400 reports from victims.
Police operation and impact on victims
After gathering information and analyzing the suspect’s modus operandi, police launched a special operation to detain him. The man was arrested in one of Barcelona’s districts, and during searches of the two apartments where he lived, officers found both counterfeit and real money, as well as some of the stolen goods. All recovered items have already been returned to their rightful owners.
The detainee is currently facing several criminal charges related to fraud and counterfeiting. The investigation is ongoing, and it is possible that the number of victims may increase, as the scheme had been operating for a long time and covered various parts of the city.
