Man who advertised the false sale of camper vans arrested

The director of a company in Tibi has been apprehended by the Alicante Guardia Civil on suspicion of defrauding at least a dozen individuals throughout the country through the fraudulent sale of camper vans. The company advertises the sale of large vans that it purportedly converts into habitable spaces through an online purchasing and selling platform. The average cost of a camper van is approximately €20,000, and some victims have paid more than half of the ultimate price.

The investigation commenced on June 16th, when a woman reported to the Ibi Guardia Civil that she had fallen victim to a scam she had discovered while viewing a television programme on a national network. The reporting team conducted an investigation into a company that purportedly defrauded numerous individuals by providing a camper van sales service. The company allegedly departed with the money without delivering any vehicles after collecting payment during the programme.

In September 2024, the complainant disclosed to the officers that she had procured a camper van through an online platform for the purchase of all forms of merchandise. She paid €11,000 in advance to the advertising company, which had agreed to deliver the van, once converted, in November 2024, two months after the contract was signed. The van’s total value was €18,000.

However, after nine months, the complainant had not received any further communication. She concluded that she had been deceived when she viewed the programme, as the individual in charge offered a variety of excuses when she complained about the delay.

Officers from the Ibi Investigation Unit verified the existence of this company, which is managed by a single individual, following the receipt of the complaint and the commencement of the investigation. They carried out an inspection of a workshop in the town, which had no connection to the scheme. The alleged perpetrator had rented numerous parking spaces for vehicles that he was purportedly converting for sale as camper vans. They discovered that he presently possessed eight vehicles in the area.

Nevertheless, the technical examinations of the vehicles revealed that none had been minimally modified or had any indication of being converted into a camper.

They promptly initiated the process of assessing the vehicles’ condition and identifying additional potential victims. The vans were discovered to have been imported from Germany, were unregistered in Spain, and were still under the ownership of their prior owners, all of whom were German. The fraudulent company had sold some of the vans to more than one buyer in Spain simultaneously, despite the vehicles’ poor condition.

Throughout the investigation, officers received numerous reports of fraud in Granada, the Balearic Islands, Navarre, and Seville that were attributed to the same perpetrator and involved the same modus operandi.

The contracts were sent by the company without a signature, date, or deadline for the vehicle’s delivery after it was converted into a camper van. Additionally, the scammer attempted to evade justice by providing the victims with account numbers that he never possessed in order to secure payment.

After a month of intensive work, investigators collected and compared incriminating information and documentation, and laboured to pinpoint his location. On July 16th, a 46-year-old Spanish man was apprehended in Tibi after evading detection. He was aware that he was sought. He has been charged with multiple counts of fraud for claiming payment for the sale of numerous camper vans that were never delivered. None of the vehicles that were discovered had been modified for human occupancy.

Furthermore, he was the subject of numerous active search and detention warrants issued by the courts in Ayamonte (Huelva) and Granollers (Barcelona) for the purpose of investigating additional frauds.

He has been instructed to be released on bail by the Court of First Instance and Investigation No. 2 of Ibi, which has taken over the proceedings.

The Ibi Investigation Department has identified ten cases so far. Formal complaints are pending, and the Guardia Civil is continuing to investigate the incident. The location of additional victims is not yet ruled out. If you suspect that you may have been a victim of the aforementioned events, you may reach out to the Ibi Guardia Civil at 966 553 521.

The Guardia Civil would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few guidelines to help prevent you from falling victim to this type of scam:

Exercise caution when considering proposals that are excessively advantageous;
Confirm the credibility of the pages that advertise the product or service;
Request all pertinent information in writing prior to making a payment;
Confirm that the conditions of the sale are plainly and unambiguously specified in the contract;
Verify that the contract contains the identifying information of the individual or company, as well as the signature, seal, date, deadlines, services included, and so forth.
Request the invoice and make payments with a trace. If, despite all odds, we are the victims of a scam, it is advisable to report the incident as soon as possible, supplying all available information that will enable us to identify the perpetrator or perpetrators.