Man arrested in Spain for scamming families by posing as anti-cyberbullying expert

The National Police in Spain have arrested an alleged fraudster posing as an anti-cyberbullying expert who had scammed the families of two school harassment victims. He manipulated them by promising to put an end to the cyberbullying by removing harmful content from the internet in exchange for a fee.

The suspect had 22 warrants for his arrest issued by various courts throughout Spain. He was located and arrested in Ponferrada.

Fake professional relationships

The investigation began in September following a complaint by a lawyer who stated that an unknown person had used his name and professional position without his consent, even signing his name on various documents.

Through a digital platform, a man with a false profile contacted two families with underage children who had been victims of bullying. He told them that he could put an end to the bullying and remove the photographs and videos published on social media. He faked a professional relationship with the lawyer whose name he was using.

Psychological manipulation and fees

The man asked the two families to initially pay him 395 euros in exchange for his services so that he could do the work. He then demanded larger sums of money, obtaining more than 5,000 euros in just eight days.

The complainant recognised the perpetrator thanks to a TV report. The suspect was located and arrested on 9 October and he was subsequently placed at the disposal of the judicial authorities.