Guardia Civil busts Spanish ENplus network scam

According to ENplus, the criminal network operated across six Spanish regions and was dismantled after defrauding over EUR 200,000 through fake online ENplus-certified pellet sales.

The scheme involved creating fraudulent websites that impersonated a legitimate, ENplus-certified Burgos-based pellet producer, BURPELLET, by fraudulently copying its branding, commercial data, and contact information.

Over 150 victims nationwide were conned into believing they were purchasing ENplus-certified pellets from BURPELLET.

The Guardia Civil investigation uncovered 27 fraudulent websites and 40 bank accounts used to channel the payments.

Part of the fraudulently obtained money was transferred to countries in southern Africa, with the remainder distributed among the network members in Spain through frequent financial movements designed to avoid detection.

The suspects now face criminal charges, including fraud, money laundering, and belonging to a criminal organization.

Authorities warn that similar scams have targeted other companies in the sector and urge consumers to be cautious, flagging unusually low prices or websites requiring bank transfers as the only means of payment as two examples.

However, according to ENplus, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Since late July 2025, the Spanish pellet market has been flooded with websites impersonating legitimate, ENplus-certified producers and traders.

During this period, AVEBIOM — the Spanish National Licenser responsible for managing ENplus locally — has handled 59 such cases.

Of these, 39 (66 percent) were successfully removed from the internet. Where removal was not possible (in 18 cases), the fraudulent domains were published in the ‘Imitations’ section of the ENplus blacklist.

The remaining two cases are still under investigation.

ENplus management cautions all certified companies and pellet consumers to remain vigilant, take precautions, and report any suspicious cases to ENplus Management.