Certificate scam worth €35,000 leads to arrest in Alicante

CHARGES: 43-year-old faces charges of fraud and falsifying documents. CREDIT: Guardia Civil

MORE than 150 false training certificates with an estimated value of over €35,000 were allegedly issued by a 43-year-old man from Alicante, who has been arrested.

The Alicante Command has confirmed the Guardia Civil of Callosa de Segura detained the suspect who has been charged with continued crimes of fraud and falsifying documents.

Although the investigations continue, the Guardia Civil estimates the amount of the scam of these certificates could exceed €35,000.

The inquiry, named the Kanafa operation, began in March last year after a trader based in Callosa de Segura discovered several certificates that were allegedly issued by her, though she had no knowledge of them at all.

It was suspected somebody was using the company name and falsifying signatures and illegitimately using official stamps.

During the police investigation, it became apparent more than 150 certificates for training course, aptitude, work risk prevention service and contracting were ‘sold’ to members of the public.

The Venezuelan suspect is now at the disposal of the judicial authority, pending trial, while the investigation continues to determine whether there are more unsuspecting victims.

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Tara Rippin

Tara Rippin is a reporter for Spain’s largest English-speaking newspaper, Euro Weekly News, and is responsible for the Costa Blanca region.
She has been in journalism for more than 20 years, having worked for local newspapers in the Midlands, UK, before relocating to Spain in 1990.
Since arriving, the mother-of-one has made her home on the Costa Blanca, while spending 18 months at the EWN head office in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
She loves being part of a community that has a wonderful expat and Spanish mix, and strives to bring the latest and most relevant news to EWN’s loyal and valued readers.

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