The Economic Crime and Technology Crime Group launched an investigation following three complaints from three different and unrelated individuals. The fraudster used a variety of tactics to deceive the women. In some cases he pretended to be a wealthy person and boasted of having financial backers. The aim was to gain the trust of his victims whom he used to approach at exclusive parties.
The investigation was triggered by a businesswoman who reported that she had met an Italian who had inherited a large fortune and wanted to invest in the islands. He gradually gained the woman’s trust and got her to lend him a large sum of money on the grounds that he had problems with his bank abroad and that he would pay her back later. He also asked for her credit card to make a payment but in the end it turned into a flood of bank charges.
The second victim, in this case a man, was duped after meeting the con artist playing paddle tennis and gaining her trust. He then offered her a high-end bicycle at a price well below its market value. Despite having made the payment, she was left without a bike and without money. The third victim is a woman with whom, using the same modus operandi as the previous victims, he tricked into believing that he was a sponsor of a well-known brand of high-end watches.
The Italian offered her an attractive offer to buy the watches, but they never arrived. After a complex investigation, the alleged perpetrator was identified in Ibiza and arrested. The suspect was an expert in paying in cash, leaving no trace and staying in hotels.
