A 48-year-old man from Valle San Lorenzo in the south of Tenerife is under investigation by the Guardia Civil for allegedly scamming a woman out of more than €20,000 through a fake romantic relationship developed on a dating app.
The investigation was carried out by the Guardia Civil’s @Team (Equipo @) in Playa de las Américas, a specialist cybercrime unit that focuses on online fraud, identity theft, and internet-based scams.
Using digital forensic techniques, the team was able to track the suspect and gather evidence showing he had deliberately misled the victim using a false identity.
According to the report, the victim had downloaded a dating app and began talking to the suspect, who presented himself as a police officer. After several face-to-face meetings, he gained her trust and convinced her they were in a genuine relationship.
Once he had established a connection, the man began asking for money, claiming he was facing financial difficulties related to a business he was supposedly launching. Over time, the woman transferred various amounts, totalling more than €20,000. After receiving the money, the suspect stopped responding to her messages, and rumours began to circulate suggesting he had died. These suspicions ultimately led the victim to report the case.
The Guardia Civil found that the man did not work in law enforcement at all, but was employed as a mechanic in a garage. His entire persona had been fabricated from the start as part of a calculated plan to exploit the woman’s emotions and take her money.
This case highlights a rising trend in so-called “romance scams,” where fraudsters use fake profiles and emotional manipulation to con victims out of significant sums of money. The Guardia Civil encourages anyone who believes they may have been targeted to keep a record of all communication and report the incident to the authorities immediately.
