50 arrested in fashion fraud

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

CADIZ The Guardia Civil recently broke up one of Spain's largest organizations dedicated to the sale of false fashion merchandise, which distributed more than 350,000 items last year. The network was unraveled following the discovery -one of many but none as substantial as this, yet- of false well-known brands of clothing at a street market in the provincial capital. Most of the stallholders were from Morocco or Sub-Sahara countries; they were at the bottom end of the organization. The GC also uncovered fake merchandise valued at €2,184,000 at several locations in Andalucía as well as in Extremadura. Some €20,000 in cash was also discovered and confiscated, as were several vehicles, computers and other material proof of the crimes.

Olive oil may not be what it says it is

MADRID A consumer organization, Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU), reported recently that it had carried out tests on 34 brands of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 6 on Virgin Oil brands aimed at checking their quality. A battery of chemical tests that followed the official analyses system revealed that most of the leading brands meet all current regulations, but 9 do not. In these latter cases, the oil is labeled 'extra' when they are simply 'virgin'. This, says OCU, is fraudulent because not only is it mislabelling but also sells a lower quality of oil at prices for a better one. It is not, however, a matter of food safety, but of illicit financial gain. The price of a litre of Virgin Olive Oil is around the €2,50, while the Extra costs around one euro more (see listing below).>>>

€10.2 million 'false bonds' case continues

From Hill Insurance website
(Click to enlarge)

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle/D.Searle) A probe continues in Gibraltar and has extended to Italy in relation to an apparent 10.2 million euro fraud. It has emerged that the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (FSC) was in early August alerted to suspicions that the bonds banked as paid up share capital might be problematic. The FSC now also believe that “certain controllers of the company have allegedly used fraudulent documents to represent assets of the company.” No arrests have been made in Gibraltar. Some of the founding members of the insurance business are Italian. On August 1 of this summer information led the FSC to initiate inquiries into the bonds which had been entered in to the books of Hill Insurance Ltd, which has it offices at Ocean Plaza in front of the Waterport roundabout. By August 8 suspicions turned to concerns that the bonds might be fake. Shortly after that the FSC stopped Hill Insurance from doing any new business. (Read the full story here)

300 implicated in massive unemployment benefit fraud

Courts in Jerez

JEREZ The courts in Jerez are involved in a large investigation into a massive fraud against the Social Security treasury. Over the last few weeks the Guardia Civil has put at the disposal of the court over 300 people who are either arrested or charged with various offences. The main scheme is allegedly obtaining illegal unemployment benefits, which would account for the large number of people supposedly involved. The MO probably included setting up 'ghost' companies with little if any activity, but which 'employed' people and then made them redundant so they could qualify for benefits without being legally entitled to them. Similar schemes>>>

Foreign currency fraud uncovered

JEREZ (Agencies) A major investigation is ongoing that apparently involves a company called BullForex, which offered gains of up to 500% 'in less than a year', according to its advertising. The company was supposedly involved in the international currency exchange business. Over 200 'investors', mostly from Jerez, are affected, having given up to €3,000 to the company to invest on their behalf and the fraud amounts to over one million euros so far. (The tax authorities do not investigate transactions below that amount.) The fraud unit of the National Police has been looking into the matter since March last year and the head of the business was first arresteda little later. However, the number of people denouncing the fraud has grown exponentially since the first ten or so 'victims' reported it. Investigations are being hampered by the fact that many of the 'victims' gave only their first surnames and rarely their addresses.

Property Registries fraud

SPAIN The College of Property Registrars has issued a warning of an Internet fraud using the name and image of the college. In the 'Subject' box appears 'Registro de la Propiedad' and -the giveaway- a sender address (registradores@reg.org). The email tells the receiver that it is imperative that they register their property, giving a false data base address and referring to a false new law. The College says that this e-mail is not, nor has anything similar even been issued by them and is best eliminated by the Spam or Delete button, but on NO ACCOUNT CLICK ON ANY LINKS. These ask for personal and banking details, and we know what can be done with these. If your Spanish is not up to much, please contact someone who understands enough to help.

Disco denounced by parents of students planning end of year celebrations

(Photo: Europa Sur)

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The parents of two groups of students who had worked hard to collect money for their end of year parties only to find that the establishment they had chosen, a disco called Ice, and where they had paid over €4,000 between the groups, had closed down and the money has disappeared with the manager. Parents of 69 students from the Instituto Isla Verde denounced the facts at the National Police station. Students from other local schools, including those at  Nuestra Señora de los Milagros and Levante, have apparently also fallen victim to what is seen as a swindle by the disco and are preparing to denounce, too. When our sources approached the establishment to get a statement, the woman apparently in charge said her bosses had taken it over only three days ago and she had no idea of where the previous manager might be.

If you rent accommodation, and even if you don't, beware of this scam

We had the e-mail below twice in two days. Aside from the obvious ungrammatical English, th return e-mail address (a business would be likely to have its own domain, though in this case there is such a company in the US, not in Londonderry) and the fact that we're not a hotel or anything like, everything else could be genuine. However, when we googled the name of the signatory, one Dr. Hoffman, we came across a site called Anti-Fraud International (image), a forum in this case that soon put us on the right track. See the scam e-mail below, but DO NOT call any of the numbers or use any of the info it contains>

Spanish Revenue to go after the 'submerged economy'

SPAIN (Agencies) Spains's Agencia Tributaria (Revenue Agency) is to begin a campaign this year aimed fighting against what is called the 'submerged economy' ( the 'under-the-counter' variety in English) that will be closing in on those who are getting benefits, such as unemployment, but are working and getting paid, among other things. This according to the Plan de Control Tributario 2011, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE, the Official State Bulletin). The plan also sets out increasing surprise visits by tax inspectors to offices and shops in order to detect the 'submerged economy', which will be done with the cooperation of the Department of Labour, Social Security and the Treasury. Thus, according to agency reports, inspectors will appear at>

Ninth arrest for Internet fraud

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) Spain is well behind the rest of Europe in the numbers related to buying and selling online: the following story could be one reason why: J.M.T., aged 23, was arrested this week for fraud on the Intenet for the fifth time. He is accused of fraud, identity theft and using false documents. There are 43 charges against him, amounting to €102,220 and he is believed to be the head of the gang arrested with him by the National Police: D.G.D., his female partner, 20; I.G.G., 21, and F. J. V. J., 22. A minor was also arrested, who is now detained at a juvenile centre in Algeiras. The National Police says the investigaion was long and arduous because of their modus operandi.>

Over 55% of rentals are undeclared, according to tax authorities

SPAIN (Agencies) More than one million property rentals, or 55.4% of the total, are not declared on tax forms, says the Agencia Tributaria, the Spanish tax authority. A report carried out in conjunction with the Minisry of Housingb, reveals that two thirds of the undeclared rentals are concentrated in Cataluña, Andalucía and Madrid. The study says that a minimum of €3 billion is being defrauded throughout the country. A spokesperson for civil servants involved in detecting such fraud says that>

£112million against tobacco counterfeiting and smuggling

(Gibraltar Chronicle) One of the world’s biggest tobacco companies has pledged £112 million towards European efforts to smash the illegal trade in cigarettes. British American Tobacco (BAT) is joining forces with the European Commission’s anti-fraud office and national enforcement authorities in the 27 EU countries to counter organised crime worth tens of billions of pounds a year. The deal was sealed at a signing ceremony recently, two years after BAT approached the Commission with plans to step-up the fight against tobacco counterfeiting and smuggling. Estimates put annual losses from the smuggling of genuine and counterfeit cigarettes - those with cheap contents and copied brand logos - at about £8.4 billion a year.>