A FRAUD racket advertising fake job offers online has led to over 1,000 people throughout Spain being duped, say National Police.

They arrested 35 people based in Palma de Mallorca, where the illicit organisation ran from, although they were said to be targeting jobseekers all over the country.

The gang purported to be from large companies offering stable employment, and stated that candidates must ‘have a good relationship’ with their banks.

In order to draw up the job contract, potential staff were told to scan a copy of their identity cards, send their bank details and pay the administration costs for their trial period, between 50 and 500 euros.

The gang amassed over a half a million euros by playing on the hopes of those desperately seeking work.

Adverts online said the candidates could earn large amounts of money in record time and with no financial risk and ‘none of those weird things you see on the internet’.

They would then steal the applicants’ ID to set up internet connections and mobile phone contracts, which they used to contact other potential victims, and used their bank accounts to receive and withdraw small amounts of money – sums that were relatively insignificant and did not therefore cause warning bells to ring.

Computer equipment, fake documentation and two luxury cars were seized in Palma de Mallorca, and the three gang leaders – a woman from Ecuador and two men from Colombia and Spain – were taken into custody.