An Irish woman defrauded €30,000 over five years from a friend who is now 80 years old with the excuse of opening a bar in Lanzarote, according to a report by The Irish Times.
Geraldine McGrath, 57, asked the victim to make regular payments between 2016 and 2021, promising that they would be used for the investment of a pub on the island.
The elderly woman used money from her savings and pension to transfer different amounts from 100 to 450 euros, which she believed would be her retirement sustenance. As reported by the Court, the victim currently has no savings and her financial resources are limited as a result of this scam. In fact, it is noted that she has been unable to pay for a headstone for her son's grave, who died in 2010.
The victim's family reported these events to the police after seeing the elderly woman's diminished economic capacity
Geraldine McGrath has pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and has stated that she will be able to return the 30,000 euros she defrauded the victim of. Furthermore, McGrath's defense requested that the trial be postponed until March.
The judge ruled that she must return a minimum of 11,000 euros before next July and ordered pre-trial detention under bail until March 23, 2026, the date on which the Court will receive updated information.
