A police operation in the city of Santa Clara, Villa Clara, intervened following reports of two large-scale scams. One scam involved food products like condensed milk and imported cookies (valued at over two million pesos), and the other involved 22 pallets of Cristal beer (valued at over 15 million pesos).
Lieutenant Colonel Héctor de la Fe Freire, head of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) in the province, detailed in a report by the state-run radio station CMHW that one of the scams began with the use of social media to purchase merchandise from self-employed workers residing in the province of Sancti Spíritus.
After agreeing to a large and attractive purchase of 50 boxes of condensed milk and 21 boxes of imported cookies, valued in total at 2,314,080 CUP, the victims were directed to a house in the Condado neighborhood of Santa Clara to deliver the goods.
Initially, they received a partial payment, with the promise that the rest of the money was supposedly at another nearby location. “That first payment included visible 1,000 CUP bills, but most were 1 peso bills,” explained the investigator. Once the sellers left the location—leaving the goods behind—to receive the full payment at another nearby house, the products were quickly removed from the first house by an organized group using animal-drawn vehicles.
Upon arriving at the location where the rest of the payment was supposed to be made, the scammer also disappeared. When they returned to the first house to retrieve their merchandise, there was no trace of the goods, according to the MININT chief in Villa Clara. The source revealed that a portion of the merchandise was eventually recovered.
Six individuals from Villa Clara, aged between 21 and 47, are accused of fraud in connection with this case. The detainees include the person responsible for organizing the purchase via social media (who had a criminal record), the owner of the house where the goods were left, and the so-called “stevedores” who moved and quickly sold the merchandise.
Second Operation Recovers Cristal Beer
In a second operation, police recovered almost the entire shipment of Cristal beer, valued at over 15 million Cuban pesos (CUP), which was scammed using the same modus operandi. “There were over twenty pallets of Cristal beer from the western part of the country, and a sale was arranged here in the municipality of Santa Clara. Once the owner of the merchandise arrived in Santa Clara, they went to the house of the person who ultimately scammed them,” the officer detailed.
According to Héctor de la Fe Freire, the scammer handed over part of the money to the seller, agreeing to give the rest at a later meeting. However, the scammer never returned. A small portion of the beers were sold on the black market for 215 pesos, a price lower than the agreed-upon 225 per beer. Nonetheless, the MININT official in Villa Clara indicated that most of the merchandise was recovered.
Héctor de la Fe Freire took the opportunity to reiterate the importance of verifying the identity of buyers and sellers contacted through social media and ensuring that transaction locations have the necessary conditions to avoid surprises.
Key Questions About Scams in Cuba
Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers regarding the recent scams involving Cristal beer and food products in Cuba.
How were the scams involving Cristal beer and food products discovered?
The scams were discovered through a police operation in Santa Clara after reports of the fraudulent activities were made. Social media played a key role in initiating these scams.
What was the total value of the goods involved in the scams?
The total value of the goods involved in the scams was over 17 million Cuban pesos, with food products valued at over two million pesos and Cristal beer valued at over 15 million pesos.
What measures are recommended to avoid such scams?
It is recommended to verify the identity of buyers and sellers contacted through social media and ensure that transaction locations have the necessary conditions to avoid surprises.