National Police officers have arrested a 59-year-old man in Benidorm, Alicante, as the alleged perpetrator of fraud, misappropriation and document forgery. According to a statement from the Provincial Police Headquarters, he is accused of renting out properties in the city for long-term stays and holiday periods, despite neither owning the properties nor having the right to use them.
The arrest took place after the National Police received several complaints from citizens who reported being scammed by the same individual regarding property rentals in Benidorm. In the first complaint, a victim stated that they had contacted a man through a coworker about a long-term rental property in the Alicante town. After making contact, the victim paid a 650 euro deposit, signed a contract and agreed to move into the apartment on 1st April However, a month before this date, they received a message from the man claiming the owners no longer wished to rent the apartment. He promised to return the money, but the refund never happened. The victim was given various excuses before eventually being blocked by the suspect.
The National Police added that the man used the same method to defraud an acquaintance of the first victim, as well as another coworker. Furthermore, the owner of an apartment in the same building where the suspect lived reported that she had lent him her keys for a few days so he could accommodate visiting relatives. A few months later, when she went to the property to drop off some belongings, she discovered unfamiliar items inside and signs that the flat was occupied. After waiting outside, she met a couple aged between 60 and 65 who told her they lived there. They had rented the property from a man matching the suspect’s identity for 700 euro a month, which they paid in cash.
Officers from Group VI of the Judicial Police at the Benidorm Police Station noted that the investigations extended beyond long-term accommodation to holiday rentals and the sale of parking spaces. The Provincial Police Station detailed that a resident of Gijón was defrauded out of 350 euro after booking a holiday apartment in Benidorm through the same individual. Upon arriving in the town, the holidaymaker could not contact the landlord, and the building’s concierge informed him that he was not the only victim of the scam.
Another crime involved the fraudulent sale of a parking space in Benidorm. A Dutch woman who owned an apartment in the suspect’s building filed a complaint after negotiating the purchase of a parking space through him as an intermediary. After agreeing a price of 22,000 euro and signing a preliminary sales contract, she paid a 2,200 euro deposit. Just days before she was due to travel to Benidorm to finalise the purchase, the suspect contacted her claiming the sale could not go ahead due to the seller’s health problems.
The victim later discovered that the preliminary contract had been forged and the parking space was never actually for sale. She attempted to resolve the matter amicably, requesting the return of her deposit alongside the money spent on flights and hotel bookings, totalling more than 4,300 euro. When the accused showed no intention of returning the money, she reported the incident to the authorities.
After gathering evidence and identifying the suspect, the National Police arrested him. It is currently unknown if there are further victims. Following the police investigation, the detainee was brought before the Benidorm investigating court.
