Mossos thwart $418,000 luxury watch fraud in Barcelona

The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested a 33-year-old man in Barcelona for a violent robbery linked to the sale of luxury watches and a gold chain valued at over $418,000. The agents managed to block the cryptocurrency transaction, so the perpetrators only made off with $1,000.

An operation by the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi Investigation Unit of the Mossos d'Esquadra led to the arrest of a 33-year-old man in Barcelona as the alleged perpetrator of a robbery with violence and intimidation. The victim, who had travelled from the United Kingdom, had contacted the sellers via social media to purchase luxury watches and a gold chain.

The meeting took place on the afternoon of September 14 at a venue in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district. There, the victims formalised the payment in cryptocurrencies for an amount exceeding $418,000, according to the Catalan police.

Investigators are working under the hypothesis that the transaction followed the pattern of the scam known as 'RIP Deal'. This method involves the perpetrators posing as investors with significant financial capacity to attract individuals interested in selling real estate or jewellery.

After making the payment, the sellers falsely claimed they had not received the money and fled with the valuable items. The agents, with the collaboration of experts from the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC), managed to block the cryptocurrency transaction, so the suspects only succeeded in taking $1,000.

While being pursued by the victims through the streets of the area, one of the suspects brandished a knife to facilitate their escape. A call to 112 immediately activated a Citizen Security patrol, which located and arrested the alleged accomplice near Joaquim Folguera square.

During the arrest, the agents seized two luxury watches from the suspect. Initial police investigations suggest that at least one of them is genuine. The investigation remains open to clarify the origin of the other pieces, and further arrests of other individuals involved are not ruled out.

"The investigators managed to block the cryptocurrency transaction, so the perpetrators only managed to take $1,000," according to police sources.

The case remains under judicial secrecy, and the detainees could be brought before a judge in the coming hours. The Mossos recommend exercising extreme caution in luxury item transactions arranged via social media and always verifying the identity of the parties involved.