A group of eleven people began trial on Monday at the Provincial Court of Las Palmas accused of forming an organisation that allegedly defrauded more than a thousand tourists in the Canary Islands, specifically on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
The trial, which is expected to last until July 19th, will evolves around crimes committed in 2016. Specifically, the Prosecutor's Office points out that a network was created in which taxi drivers, sellers of technological items, and estate agents were involved in.
Apparently, the accused obtained the credit cards of foreign holidaymakers who were visiting the islands and simulated purchases of goods or services using point-of-sale credit card terminals (POS), with the group paying a 'commission' to those involved.
Many of these devices were obtained fraudulently, as the group faked company details and activities to obtain them from banks, while others were provided by business owners who, in return, charged a commission on the fraudulent transactions.
According to the prosecution, holidaymakers who were about to return to their country of origin were targeted, and were offered products and goods at bargain prices. When the sale was made, their credit cards were swiped several times through the terminals, alleging malfunctions, and the victim only became aware of these charges once they had returned home to their own country.
The Public Prosecutor's Office is requesting sentences of between two and eight years in prison for each of the perpetrators, and compensation of 610,043 euros for the company Servired, which was harmed when the account holders cancelled the transactions.
