Real estate magnate arrested for forging immigrant documents

Police swooped on a gang allegedly offering immigrants false paperwork and addresses to support their requests to have their families admitted to Spain. The alleged ring master of the network is reportedly a well known real estate magnate nicknamed ‘La Lechera’, who has previously been investigated over claims she runs a number of brothels. A total of 24 people were arrested including her two sons and her lawyer. Immigration police became suspicious over a large Continue reading Real estate magnate arrested for forging immigrant documents

19 arrested in Almería for forcing abortions for the insurance money

A major police operation last night and today have resulted in 19 people being arrested in Almeria city for running an insurance scam in which women became pregnant, aborted, and then claiming they had miscarried due to traffic accidents, for the insurance money. 12 of the people arrested are women. Charges levied appear to be defrauding insurance companies, illegal abortion and belonging to a criminal gang. Women involved in the scam would fall pregnant. Once Continue reading 19 arrested in Almería for forcing abortions for the insurance money

€240,000 in stamps ‘stolen’ from university

A civil servant at the University of Almería has been charged with fraud after auditors found he had spent €240,000 supposedly buying stamps over the last twelve years. The public prosecutor alleges the man was handing in false invoices every fifteen days to justify taking money from petty cash. The invoices were not issued by the state postal service, Correos, but were never questioned by the University accountants. Alarm bells were rung after auditors spotted Continue reading €240,000 in stamps ‘stolen’ from university

Nasty outcome to true love found on dating programme

Juan y Medio is a slightly sinister TV presenter on regional TV Canal Sur. He presents a number of programmes, including one where small children sing and dance for the amusement of OAP’s, but the programme that concerns us is a stupefyingly boring daily afternoon programme called “la tarde aquí y ahora” (the afternoon here and now). In it, Juan y Medio (I understand he was actually born in Almeria but fled the place as Continue reading Nasty outcome to true love found on dating programme

Turre trio charged with selling warehouse as a real home

A couple from Turre, plus a female friend, are all looking at three years in jail after they were arrested for trying to sell a storeroom as a real house to the aunt of the female friend. They managed to flog the home for 177.000 euros, but when the aunt turned up she realised it was a hut in a field and the photos she’d seen were false. The hut was valued at around 20.000 Continue reading Turre trio charged with selling warehouse as a real home

130 arrested in benefit fraud crackdown

The Guardia Civil’s financial crimes division have arrested 130 people after discovering a businessman offering fake work contracts to help people obtain benefits they were not entitled to. [Adsense-B] The scam involved two companies based out of Torre Pacheco in Murcia. The main company was a real fruit and vegetable supply company that operated normally, but whose owner had diversified into benefit fraud. He had setup a second company which had no clients, assets or Continue reading 130 arrested in benefit fraud crackdown

500 scammed workers pass night in train station

They had been promised that a French company was looking for farm hands and were offered four months work at 84€ a day salary. The work involved building greenhouses and collecting mushrooms. But of course there was a catch, namely the need to pay fifty five euros each for the “paperwork”. Five hundred people fell for the scam, and turned up at Almeria’s intermodal train station on Sunday waiting for the company representative to appear Continue reading 500 scammed workers pass night in train station

Africans who scammed Turre residents out of €12,200 caught

A “highly organised” group of African scammers have been arrested by the Guardia Civil after they scammed three residents of Turre out of 12,200 euros. The scam is a common one in Spain, the dollar wash scam. In essence, the scammers say they have smuggled a load of foreign currency into the country by covering them with a special paint. They show the mug, sorry victim, how they wash the paint off with “special chemicals”, Continue reading Africans who scammed Turre residents out of €12,200 caught

One of Spains largest technology companies “nothing but an empty shell”

The founder and CEO of Gowex has quit today after admitting his company accounts are made up and he’s been hiding the loss of hundreds of millions of euros. Trading in Gowex shares was suspended on Thursday after they dropped by about 60 percent in two days, wiping around 870 million euros ($1.2 billion) off the company’s stock market value, in the wake of a damning report by US short sellers Gotham City Research. Gotham Continue reading One of Spains largest technology companies “nothing but an empty shell”

Garrucha false teeth insurance scam

A 69 year old man from Garrucha has been arrested after he claimed to have been mugged for his false teeth in a bid for the insurance money. The pensioner filed a police report saying that at 9pm on June 14th he had been mugged on Garrucha high street by two “furriners” who got away with his wallet and his false teeth. Police were suspicious of the claim, and the Guardia investigated. It turns out that Continue reading Garrucha false teeth insurance scam