Benidorm National Police officers have concluded an arduous probe and led to the arrest of a woman suspected of defrauding a friend of €35,000, money she claimed was needed to secure an inheritance. The supposed inheritance, allegedly worth more than €3 million and originating in the United States, formed the centerpiece of the ruse. This was not the first time the suspect used this same deceitful scheme; police indicate she had previously swindled another man who trusted her in El Ejido using a similar approach.
The case was developed by Department VI of the Benidorm Judicial Police, which specializes in investigating property crimes and economic offenses, including the use of new technologies in criminal investigations. The inquiry was led by agents from the division responsible for criminal investigations through digital means. It began in January of the previous year when a man residing in Benidorm met a woman on the Facebook platform. Their online connection deepened after a couple of in-person meetings, and a romantic relationship developed between them.
Once a relationship had formed, the suspect told the man that she needed €28,000 to cover taxes in the United States connected to processing an inheritance of €3,000,000 from a relative. However, police say she claimed she could not access that amount and asked him to lend it to her as a loan instead of a gift.
Maximum three money requests
From that moment, the victim began withdrawing substantial sums from his bank accounts to hand over to the suspect. After receiving the €28,000, authorities say the perpetrator pressed for a further €7,000 in additional charges labeled as fare management fees. The man trusted his partner and agreed to the request, accepting the extra demand. In the following weeks, she again required €13,000 under the same pretenses. By that point, the man grew suspicious, realizing that he might be the target of a scam and that the relationship may have fostered a fraudulent scheme.
The victim then visited a police station to file a report. Investigators promptly gathered the necessary evidence and documented the financial trail. Based on the collected information, the woman was subsequently arrested, and authorities moved to request the court to freeze her bank accounts to recover the stolen funds.
Another scam in El Ejido
During the search phase of the investigation, officers from Group VI confirmed that the suspect was a repeat offender. They found evidence of an earlier fraud in 2020 that followed a similar pattern, wherein she managed to persuade a man she cared for to hand over as much as €40,000 in cash. The suspect, identified as a Spanish national and legal adult, was placed at the disposal of the Benidorm Court of Guardians following police procedures.