There are four women under investigation for membership in a criminal group, extortion, and money laundering, and 7 victims have been located.
A gang specialized in online sexual extortion has been dismantled following a report from a resident of Barakaldo (Bizkaia). The operation has resulted in four women under investigation for membership in a criminal group, extortion, and money laundering, and seven victims have been located in the province of Bizkaia and in five other provinces: Castellón, Ciudad Real, Murcia, Guadalajara, and Almería.
The alleged members of the criminal organization impersonated advertisements for sexual services to lure their victims and demand payments through threats, as reported by the Government Delegation in the Basque Country.
The operation, named ‘Trabazone,’ was initiated by the Guardia Civil Team in Bizkaia following a report from a resident of Barakaldo in mid-2023. The complainant stated that they accessed a contacts website advertising sexual services, and although they did not hire any services, they started receiving messages and calls from different numbers threatening them with repercussions if they did not make payments for alleged contracted services.
Facing the severity of the threats, the victim agreed to make payments through a payment gateway platform, sending a total of 1,300 euros in four transactions. The investigation focused on analyzing the associated banking transactions, the phone lines used, and the devices from which the contacts were made.
Technical analysis linked the extortion calls to a total of 16 prepaid phone lines, all activated on different mobile devices to hinder police tracking. Additionally, it was found that the payment recipient numbers were related to other similar complaints.
MODUS OPERANDI
The criminals posted fake ads on websites offering sexual services primarily to men. Once interested parties accessed the pages and provided a contact number, they began receiving intimidating messages via instant messaging from supposed «bosses» of the advertised girls, demanding payments for requested services that were not carried out.
In the messages, victims were threatened with physical and social repercussions, such as home visits, public dissemination of alleged behavior, or repercussions if they had a partner. It was a form of sexual extortion, a highly lucrative criminal modality, as many victims agreed to pay out of fear of consequences.
Multiple phone identities, SIM cards, and mobile devices were used to carry out the criminal activity. In many cases, the group settled for a single payment before cutting off communication, although in other instances, they persisted to obtain greater economic benefit.
END OF OPERATION
Through the efforts of the Guardia Civil, four perpetrators of the crimes were identified, all residing in Valencia, one of whom was already involved in other legal proceedings for similar offenses.
The existence of seven victims in different locations was also established, specifically in the provinces of Bizkaia, Castellón, Ciudad Real, Murcia, Guadalajara, and Almería.
The Court of Instruction number 4 of Bilbao, handling the case, proceeded to summon the four women as suspects for the crimes of extortion, membership in a criminal group, and money laundering.