In Barcelona and neighboring L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, police have detained a man suspected of orchestrating a large-scale real estate scam. He is accused of deceiving at least twenty people and pocketing more than 200,000 euros.
The scheme was simple yet effective. Attractive listings appeared on popular real estate sales and rental websites, offering apartments at prices noticeably below market value. This immediately drew the attention of those looking for a bargain in Barcelona or L’Hospitalet.
Potential renters and buyers would come to viewings, where they were met by the suspect himself. He confidently showed them the properties, although he had no actual connection to them. To make the scheme more convincing, he presented fake documents identifying him as the owner or an authorized representative of the owner.
To speed up the decision, he told people that demand for these apartments was extremely high and that unless a deposit was paid immediately, they’d miss out. As a result, victims rushed to transfer money or hand over cash to secure the property they liked. The paperwork was arranged in a rented office; after that, the scammer would disappear and break off all contact.
The fraudster paid special attention to explaining why the apartments were still occupied. He assured clients that the current tenants were there legally and would be moving out soon, or that arrangements had already been made for the premises to be vacated. This helped allay the suspicions of buyers and renters.
The arrest took place at the end of September. So far, there are 20 known victims, all of whom reported the crimes to the police during 2024. Most of the victims are newcomers to Catalonia, having just moved to the region. The scammer relied on his real estate experience to gain trust and avoid suspicion.
The entire scheme was based on selling or renting out occupied apartments at bargain prices. Hoping for a good deal, people rushed to pay deposits, unaware they were being scammed. The presence of other residents in the apartments made it harder for both the victims and the police to detect the fraud.
The detainee already has previous convictions for similar crimes. He is now suspected of a series of frauds and forgery of documents. The investigation is ongoing, and the list of victims may yet grow.
