Man Arrested in Alicante for Embezzling Elderly Relative’s Funds. In Villena, police have arrested a man suspected of stealing money and property from an elderly relative. The pensioner’s bank account was nearly empty, and one of the apartments was sold at a significantly reduced price.
In Villena (Alicante province), police have arrested a 52-year-old man suspected of large-scale misappropriation of funds and property belonging to his elderly uncle, who lives in a specialized care facility. According to the Civil Guard, the man gained full access to his relative’s bank account by becoming a co-owner after his own father's death and failed to inform the bank of the change in circumstances. As a result, the pensioner’s savings were almost entirely depleted—there was only €1.15 left in the account.
The investigation found that the suspect regularly withdrew money for his personal use, including transferring the victim's pension for his own needs. He also arranged for the sale of one of the elderly man’s apartments, listing the amount as €30,000 in the documents, although the actual sale value was about €67,000. He transferred the difference to his own account. Meanwhile, the man stopped paying for his uncle’s care in the facility and attempted to draft a will in his favor during the notarial transaction.
It was also revealed during the investigation that another apartment owned by the victim was also being prepared for sale under a similar scheme. The court quickly froze the pensioner’s bank account to prevent further transactions. The detainee has been charged with mismanagement of assets and money laundering. On April 29, he was brought before the civil and investigative division of the Villena court.
Cases of fraud involving relatives in Spain are not uncommon. For example, two women were recently detained in Huesca for attempting to sell fake gold bars, which also drew attention to the issue of trust abuse within families and close circles. More details about this incident can be found in the article about the detention in Huesca.
According to Spanish authorities, such crimes are most often detected after reports from social services or banks, when suspicious financial transactions involving elderly citizens are recorded. In recent years, the country has increased oversight of real estate deals and bank accounts belonging to people under guardianship or in institutions. This is due to a rise in cases of trust abuse and attempts to illegally appropriate property from the most vulnerable groups. In such situations, courts typically act promptly to freeze accounts and initiate investigations to protect the interests of victims.
