A criminal network extorting money from users of contact pages has been dismantled in Pamplona

The National Police has disbanded a criminal group dedicated to extorting customers from websites through the well-known "fake hit man" scam. In the so-called "Bachata" operation, 16 people have been arrested.

The case began in Pamplona when a young man living in the Rochapea neighbourhood reported that he had paid about 20,000 euros after receiving serious threats. Parental intervention, alarmed by his son's behaviour and constant demands for money, was key to activating the investigation.

Police reported that the extortionists obtained personal data from the victims with the help of some of the employees on the contact pages, which included increasingly violent threats such as sending images of homes obtained through Google Maps, photos taken from social media and explicit videos of the attacks, warning that if they did not, they would suffer such consequences.

The investigation is still open and two other potential stakeholders outside Spain are being sought.