Man arrested in Benidorm for defrauding tourists with fake property rentals and garages
A 59-year-old man was arrested in Benidorm for renting flats that did not belong to him and forging contracts. Victims have lost thousands of euros.
Arrested in Benidorm for renting other people's flats and forging purchase contracts
Spain's National Police detained a 59-year-old man in Benidorm on suspicion of fraud, misappropriation, and document falsification. According to a statement from the Provincial Police Station, the suspect rented residential properties for long-term and holiday periods in the Alicante city that he neither owned nor had usufruct rights to.
The arrest came after several citizens filed complaints against the same individual, as reported by ABC. In all of them, the victims described suffering scams related to the rental of properties in Benidorm.
Deposit taken and reimbursement that never arrived
The first documented complaint came from a person who, through a work colleague, made contact with the now-detained man, who was offering a flat for long-term rental. The victim paid 650 euros as a deposit, signed a contract, and agreed to move in on 1 April. One month before that date, he received a message from the landlord informing him that the owners had decided not to rent the property and promising to return the money.
The reimbursement never happened. After receiving successive excuses, the victim was blocked as a contact by the suspect. The same method was used against a person known to that victim and against a work colleague, according to what the National Police detailed.
The neighbour's flat, rented without her knowledge
One of the most striking episodes involves the owner of a flat located in the same building where the suspect lived. She had given him the keys for a few days so that he could accommodate some visiting relatives. Months later, when she went to the flat to leave some belongings, she found possessions belonging to others and clear signs that the property was occupied.
While she waited outside, a couple aged between 60 and 65 arrived who stated they lived there and had rented the apartment from the suspect for 700 euros per month, paid in cash. The identification details of the supposed landlord matched those of the detainee.
Holiday apartment in Benidorm that never existed
The complaints investigated by Judicial Police Group VI of the Benidorm Police Station went beyond long-term rentals. A man resident in Gijón reported having booked a holiday apartment in Benidorm through the same individual for an amount of 350 euros. Upon arriving at the town, he could not contact the landlord. The building's caretaker informed him that he was not the only person affected for the same reason.
Falsified deposit contract and more than 4,300 euros lost
A case was also detected relating to the sale of a garage space in Benidorm. A Dutch citizen, owner of a flat in the same building where the suspect lived, negotiated with him the purchase of a garage space in which he was acting as intermediary. They agreed on a price of 22,000 euros and the buyer handed over 2,200 euros as a deposit, signing a deposit contract.
Days before the agreed date to close the transaction, the detainee contacted her to tell her that the sale could not go ahead because the selling party had health problems. The victim later discovered that the deposit contract had been forged and that the garage space was not for sale. She attempted to resolve the matter amicably by claiming both the deposit money and the flight and hotel expenses she had already paid to travel to Benidorm, bringing the total amount claimed to more than 4,300 euros. Faced with the suspect's refusal to return the amount, she filed a complaint.
Detained and brought before courts
Once all the evidence had been gathered and the person responsible for the various complaints identified, the National Police proceeded with his arrest. Following police proceedings, the man was brought before the investigating courts in Benidorm. The authorities do not rule out that there may be further victims not yet identified.
Source: ABC