The detainee, nicknamed Lupin after Arsene Lupin, the "gentleman thief" from Maurice Leblanc's novels, is a 23-year-old Spanish man who managed to earn up to 300,000 euros ($337,000) every month by creating fake online shops featuring well-known brands. According to the Civil Guard, Lupin created 30 sites in total, each of which operated for just several days.
Purchases on these fake online shops could only be done through bank transfer. Later on, the criminal came up with a new stunt and started offering his buyers to install a mobile application so that they can track their orders. The app was an easy way for Lupin to learn customers' bank card information and steal money from them.
The cyberthief used various fake names and was always on the move, never stopping in the same hotel or apartment for more than a week. Spanish law enforcement assumes that Lupin has been engaged in criminal activities for three years. The Civil Guard created a special page on its website so that anyone targeted by Lupin could report the theft.
Besides the fraudster, Spanish police have detained two other people and seized 50 phones and 100 SIM cards used in the scams.