A technician from a banking institution was arrested in Barcelona for allegedly committing 97 offenses of bank fraud with cards. The 30-year-old used manipulated card terminals to return the money spent on purchases to his account, using the details from the purchase receipt.
The Catalan Police initiated the investigation after receiving a complaint from one of the businesses affected by the fraudulent chargebacks. The suspect made transactions with small amounts to avoid detection and requested the purchase receipts when paying in stores, pretending to be an ordinary customer.
Thanks to the collaboration of the card terminal company and the banking institution, the agents were able to trace that the cards used belonged to an employee and that 97 returned transactions were recorded. The detainee was arrested by the Mossos d’Esquadra of the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi Unit on February 18.
It is estimated that the individual managed to reinstate more than 3,500 euros into his account from purchases made at least fifty establishments. Authorities warn that the investigation is ongoing and the existence of more businesses affected by this fraud cannot be ruled out.
