Costa del Sol
50 arrests against Málaga lottery scam
By h.b.
May 29, 2008 - 8:09 AM

There have been at least 50 arrests in a swoop against the Nigerian false lottery operators in Málaga.
More than 300 National Police took part in the operation yesterday which was centred on Málaga city and managed by police from Madrid.

The fraud is now well known; A letter is sent to victims saying they have won a large amount in a Spanish lottery, but to access it they need to pay an ‘administration charge’.

Police say the operation remains open and searches are continuing in homes and also in phone-call shops in the area.
The fraud is also linked to the groups who sell counterfeit goods in the streets, with groups often controlled by a few immigrant mafia.

A similar Police operation against the lottery scammers was carried out in Málaga in July 2005, and that one ended with 310 people arrested. It was thought that as many as 20,000 people around the world were defrauded in that case.