Spanish authorities said they arrested a man accused of leading a 260 million-euro ($300 million) alleged international investment scam that promised returns on everything from cryptocurrency to gold and luxury yachts.
The suspect, identified as A.R. and known online as “CryptoSpain,” allegedly ran the Madeira Invest Club, which began operations in early 2023 and marketed itself as a private investment group, the Ministry of Interior said.
According to the ministry, the scheme attracted over 3,000 victims by offering guaranteed returns on contracts tied to digital art, luxury vehicles, whisky, real estate and cryptocurrencies.
Promised profits and buyback guarantees were part of the pitch, but authorities say no real economic activity of investment took place. Instead, the club operated as a Ponzi scheme, where earlier participants were paid with funds from new investors, according to the ministry.
As the operation expanded, the operation built a complex network of shell companies and bank accounts spanning at least 10 countries, including Portugal, the U.K., the U.S., Malaysia and Hong Kong.
The investigation, known as Operation PONEI, involved Europol and law enforcement agencies from the U.S., Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand among others.
免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。
