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The trio used false documents, in the name of a legitimate company, to dupe individuals who were looking to rent a property in the town to pay sizable sums as a depositEuropa Press
Friday, 24 March 2023
National Police officers on the Costa del Sol have arrested three fake real estate agents in Marbella for alleged crimes of fraud, false documentation and belonging to a criminal group. According to the investigation, the suspects would have pocketed about 20,000 euros with this type of fraud if they had not been apprehended, the force said in a statement.
The detainees, two women and a man, aged between 34 and 43 years, posed as employees of a real estate agency headquartered in the Costa del Sol town. But they had never worked for this legitimate business. Instead, using false documents they deceived individuals who were looking to rent a property in Marbella, to pay sizable sums as a deposit.
The investigation, carried out by officers from Marbella's National Police HQ, began at the end of February following a complaint from a member of the public who reported having been the victim of the scam.
This person made three transfers to different bank accounts for a total amount of 6,070 euros. The victim had contacted a woman who claimed to be a real estate agent, via an internet portal.
According to the investigations, the suspects posed as clients to the estate agents in the area and obtained relevant information about the flats for rent. Subsequently, using trickery, they advertised on the internet and contacted people looking for flats, closing the deals and providing false rental contracts, which contained details of third parties who were not involved in the scheme.
In one of the reported cases, the investigated parties convinced one of their clients to call a locksmith who provided access to "one of their properties", claiming that the previous tenant had left without returning the keys. Subsequently, the victim learned from his new neighbours that the flat was not really rented and that he had unknowingly "occupied" it.
In another incident, a member of the gang threatened one of the victims with the arrival of "two heavies" when she realised the scam and demanded the return of a transfer.
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