Francisco Javier Martín Porras

Attractive ads on social media and marketplaces offering products at impossible prices: once you pay, nothing arrives. How the fake-ad scam works, how to spot it and how to recover your money in Spain.

Online fraud, hacking, ransomware, disclosure of secrets, identity theft, sextortion: the main computer crimes in the Spanish Criminal Code, their penalties and why digital evidence decides the case, whether you are a victim or under investigation.

Does a WhatsApp message count as evidence in a Spanish court? Judgment 514/2025 of the Madrid High Court of Justice recalls that authenticity and authorship must be proved: identification of the parties, integrity of the conversation, expert verification and corroboration.

How the contents of a seized telephone are preserved, and challenged, in Spanish criminal proceedings: court authorisation, forensic extraction with integrity verification, and why a broken chain of custody voids the evidence.

In Spain a home is inviolable: no entry or search may take place without the consent of the occupant or a court order, except in cases of flagrant offence. The conditions, the legal and case-law limits and the guarantees of Article 18 of the Constitution.

The Spanish Constitutional Court (judgment 30/2023) held that the pre-trial detention hearing must be suspended if the defence has not had access to the essential elements of the file, and that the detention order must state the evidence on which it rests.

No defence can challenge what it does not know. The right of access to the case materials, from Directive 2012/13/EU and the 2015 reform of the Spanish LECrim, at the police station, at the pre-trial detention hearing and for the investigated person who has not been arrested.

Fake traders and investment platforms promise high, risk-free returns in Forex, crypto or shares. How trader scams work, the warning signs, how to protect yourself and when and how you can claim in Spain.

Wangiri is a telephone fraud: a one-ring call from an unknown, often international, number; when you call back you are connected to a premium-rate line. How it works, how to protect yourself and what to do if you have been charged.

Romance scams follow a well-defined pattern: a perfect profile, a fast-moving relationship, excuses not to meet and, finally, requests for money. How to recognise them, how to protect yourself and what to do if you have already been a victim in Spain.