The Spanish Guardia Civil broke up a pellet scam network imitating a certified company
A criminal network operating across six Spanish regions was dismantled after defrauding more than €200,000 through fake online pellet sales. The scheme involved creating fraudulent websites that impersonated the legitimate and ENplus® certified Burgos-based company BURPELLET, copying its branding, commercial data, and contact information. Over 150 victims nationwide were tricked into believing they were purchasing pellets from the real company.
The investigation uncovered 27 fraudulent websites and 40 bank accounts used to channel the payments. Part of the stolen money was transferred to countries in southern Africa, while the rest was distributed among members of the network in Spain through frequent financial movements designed to avoid detection.
The suspects face 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 with unusually low prices or websites requiring bank transfers as the only payment method.
However, 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%) 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.
The ENplus® management asks all certified companies and pellet consumers to remain vigilant, take precautions and report the case to the ENplus® Management. Check out our advice how to avoid scams here.
Consulting the blacklist and the database with imitation companies is a great way to identify which market players and websites to avoid. Don’t hesitate to visit this page before purchasing pellets.