The National Police have taken a man into custody in Murcia on charges of at least twenty counts of fraud. He used his position as a real estate agent and his understanding of the field to post a lot of rental listings for the city of Murcia on a popular online real estate site. According to the police, he then kept the money given as a deposit and/or the first month’s rent and didn’t give the property as promised. It is possible that this person has more victims who have not yet come forward to report the crime.
In July, when university students from neighbouring provinces were looking for somewhere to live, the National Police got their first complaints. They needed to find a place to live before the school year started, so they looked on a well-known website where the scammer allegedly posted a lot of ads for homes at good prices. He used his position as a real estate agent to get specific locations, keys to the homes, supporting documents, photos, and everything else he needed to pull off the scams.
The National Police’s investigation made it feasible to quickly put together the ads that the alleged fraudster posted on this site. It was also found that university students had been provided apartments in different parts of the city centre of Murcia. The victims even had signed reservation papers, bank deposits, communications they had sent to the scammer, and all kinds of other information concerning the transactions.
The suspect would set up meetings with the students and show them the residences. They would even produce proof of self-employment and a bank account certificate, all in an effort to gain the victim’s trust. He would then take the money that was put down as a deposit and/or the first month’s rent and not give the home as promised.
The National Police were able to thoroughly identify and arrest the person they thought was responsible for the fraud. They charged him with the charges and brought him before the courts. The person who is being accused is out on bond.
So far, more than twenty others have filed similar accusations against this person, and each person has lost between 600 and 1,400 euros. The police say that the fraud might cost more than 20,000 euros.
Author: Derek Appleton
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