The Guardia Civil have arrested two people in Tenerife, accused of defrauding 26 people out of more than 25,000 euros in a rental scam of properties that don’t exist. Additionally, three more people are under investigation for their role in receiving fraudulently obtained funds in their bank accounts. All suspects are facing charges of participation in a criminal group and continuous fraud.
The operation started in late 2022 when the authorities became aware of several complaints filed at various police stations in Tenerife, all linked to fraudulent rental schemes online.
The accused would identify potential renters through online portals, enticing them with apartments offered at attractive rental prices significantly below market rates. In each case, victims made bank transfers for reservation fees, security deposits, and other fictitious administrative costs. Once the payments were made, the suspects ceased all communication with the victims and were never seen again by them.
To lend credibility to the scam, the perpetrators sent photographs of properties that were in good condition and well furnished. Coupled with the low rental prices, victims were compelled to quickly make reservations, sometimes even paying several months’ worth of rent up front without physically inspecting the non-existent properties.
The fraudulently obtained funds were deposited into various bank accounts belonging to the criminal group members, and subsequently withdrawn in cash from numerous ATMs across the island.
Based on information collected by the Guardia Civil, and an analysis of the data, the two principal members were identified, located, and arrested. Furthermore, thanks to information provided by various banking institutions, the involvement of three additional people was detected. These acted as financial mules by receiving the fraudulent transfers in their bank accounts, leading to their investigation.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 1 of Güímar, with coordination from the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The main suspect has been remanded in custody.
