Credit: simona pilolla 2 / shutterstockA €67.50 fee was only the beginning for some people trying to renew their residency papers. Police say an alleged fake agency used invented banking problems to secure repeat payments, then sent false refund receipts when victims demanded their money back. It appeared to belong to a gestoría, an administrative agency supposedly specialising in securing immigration appointments. Previous scam networks have also benefited from Spain’s residency appointment chaos this year, using automated bots to capture genuine appointments and resell them. WhatsApp conversations, social-media adverts, telephone numbers, appointment documents, bank details and payment receipts should always be kept as proof.