Spain’s National Police have arrested 21 people across Alicante, Murcia and Valencia accused of blocking the government’s on-line booking system for foreign-affairs appointments and then selling the coveted slots to migrants for €15-€30 each. According to investigators, the gang used automated ‘bot’ attacks to monopolise the quota of appointment times released by the Ministry of Inclusion and Migration. They then offered the slots—together with forged bank statements, insurance policies and padrón certificates—to third-country nationals seeking residence permits, especially the popular non-lucrative visa. Police seized computers and hundreds of falsified documents during raids and estimate the network earned roughly €9,000 per member each month. The scam began in 2023 but grew sharply this spring as demand for appointments out-stripped supply in coastal provinces with large expatriate populations. For legitimate applicants—and for HR teams relocating staff into Spain—the crackdown is welcome news. Over the past year corporates have struggled to secure appointments for work-permit fingerprinting, NIE collection and card renewals; many reported project delays or had to fly employees home when 90-day visa-free stays expired. By neutralising the ‘appointment mafia’, authorities hope to restore normal access and reduce black-market prices that were creeping above €150 per slot in peak months. The operation also signals Madrid’s wider digital-security push. The Interior Ministry is rolling out CAPTCHA upgrades and two-factor authentication for the cita-previa platform, while regional Foreigners’ Offices will receive extra staff during the summer surge. Companies should advise mobile talent to monitor appointment portals daily, avoid intermediaries offering paid slots, and retain evidence of failed booking attempts in case grace-period requests are needed.
Source: El Enclave
