5 November 2026

— Following the Trail from Scam Call Centres to Barcelona’s Hostel Network

In August 2026, Qurium published Following the Money, an investigation that traced an Australian investment-fraud victim’s payment to an international network of companies involved in immigration services, call centres and payment processing, linked to the Israeli businessman Shefi Goldberg and the company GO-BE Marketing.

The investigation began months earlier when an Australian investigative journalist contacted Qurium seeking assistance in tracing a fraudulent investment operation estimated to have defrauded Australian victims millions of dollars. In Australia, the national broadcaster ABC exposed connections between the network and fraudulent investment platforms. In South Africa, investigative outlet amaBhungane uncovered how Maor Yehudai, a business associate of Goldberg, had processed payments for an alleged cryptocurrency scam and was seeking to enter the regulated online gambling industry through Bet777.

Following months of on-the-ground research in Barcelona, Qurium’s latest investigation uncovers an unexpected branch of this international network: the hospitality business of Ori Behrend who operates the Spanish branch of GO-BE Marketing. The investigation traces Behrend’s involvement in Barcelona’s hospitality industry, beginning with his connection to Hostal Balkonis.

While investigating Behrend’s involvement in immigration-related call centres in Spain, Qurium discovered his connection to Hostal Balkonis, a tourist accommodation business in central Barcelona. Historical domain registrations subsequently revealed links to numerous other hostels, including Argo, Martinval, Felipe II, Hera and Sant Antoni.

Several of these establishments appeared on hotel-booking platforms under the commercial names Emiliya and Emiliya Group. Qurium identified a network of operating companies administered by Barcelona businessman Arnald Riu Boquet, whose business activities included managing hospitality establishments through different corporate entities and tourism licenses.

The investigation uncovered an opaque corporate structure in which the identities of property owners, tourism-license holders and operating companies were frequently difficult to establish. Financial records revealed unusual personnel expenses, fluctuations in staffing levels and significant changes in company assets.

Qurium’s investigation shows how opaque ownership structures and tourism licensing arrangements are in Barcelona’s hospitality sector. This lack of transparency creates opportunities for investors with questionable backgrounds to enter the hospitality industry while obscuring their financial interests.

All started with one receipt from a victim in Australia. Dirty Money, Clean Sheets.

Qurium’s full investigation: From Scam Call Centres to a Network of Barcelona Hostels

Previous Investigations

[20 Aug 2026] Qurium — Following the Money

[20 Aug 2026] ABC Australia — Fake ABC News Articles Are Promoting Scams. The Money Leads to an International Fraud Network

[14 Aug 2026] amaBhungane — Online Gambling: Look Who’s Knocking at the Door

[20 Aug 2026] Ynet News — Thousands of Australians Targeted in Investment Scam Network Allegedly Operating from Israel

[20 Aug 2026] The Jerusalem Post — Israeli Investment Scam Defrauds Over 4,000 Australians Out of Millions of Dollars – Report

[20 Aug 2026] Walla Finance — Australian Investigation: Israeli Fraud Network Extracted Hundreds of Millions of Dollars from Thousands of Australians

Qurium Media Foundation is an international non-profit organization that provides secure hosting, digital forensics, incident response, and infrastructure protection for journalists, human rights defenders, and public-interest media organizations worldwide. Its investigations focus on censorship, surveillance, digital attacks, and the infrastructures that enable them. Learn more at qurium.org.

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