Agents of the Civil Guard belonging to the @ Teams of the Command of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the Command of Las Palmas in Lanzarote, have instructed proceedings in which they are investigating a 57-year-old woman, resident of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as the alleged perpetrator of, at least, five crimes of fraud, in its modality of false rental.
The modus operandi used by the investigated person was always the same, she published ads on real estate portals online, offering apartments for supposed rent, which may or may not coincide with real homes.
After establishing a more personal contact through various channels with the different injured parties, she reached an agreement convincing them to finally make bank transfers to her favor or even cash payments, as a reservation or monthly payment, reaching to receive/scam a total of 4,850 euros.
Once these payments occurred, the accused began to make different excuses until she finally interrupted all communication with the injured parties, and the latter were unable to contact her again by any means.
It should be noted that the people harmed by the scam are residents of different municipalities on the islands of Tenerife, La Palma and Lanzarote.
Civil Guard Tips
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Be wary of ads where the sale/rental price is excessively low, as these are the ones that attract the most attention.
- If the advertiser is an agency, request their full details (address, telephone, website, etc.). And if the advertiser is an individual, ask for the owner's details and contact them directly.
- Investigate the information provided by the advertiser through search engines. Sometimes, other deceived users tell their stories when they have been scammed.
- - Check all the photos in detail: if there are few, of poor quality or even stolen from other sites, it is a clear indication that the accommodation may be fake. It is always better to visit the property in person.
- It is not advisable to pay in advance if there are no guarantees.
- Be wary of advertisers who demand quick payment and before making a bank transfer, make sure that the advertiser offers sufficient guarantees.
- When you contact the advertiser, try to save all the messages received and sent, as well as all the information relating to the person with whom you are negotiating the sale and all their forms of contact.
- Ask the advertiser for a photocopy of their ID and a brief contract commitment stating the dates, price and possible deposit.
