Fake room rental scam uncovered in Gran Canaria
A 21-year-old woman has been arrested in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, accused of conning more than a dozen people across Spain with fake room rental offers. Police say she advertised the rental of a single room in various cities, including Madrid, Mallorca, and Las Palmas, through property websites and social media.
Victims were asked to pay deposits ranging from €350 to €600. Once the payment was received, the woman allegedly cut off all communication and failed to provide the accommodation or return the money.
Following multiple complaints, investigators identified the suspect, who was already wanted under four separate orders from different courts. They linked her to at least 12 similar offences committed in other parts of Spain, in which she is accused of using stolen identities to avoid detection.
In addition to the rental scams, police allege she also defrauded people by selling fake concert tickets via mobile apps, charging around €30 per ticket.
The woman is believed to have moved frequently around the country, making it harder for police to track her down.
This case is far from the only instance of rental fraud in the Canary Islands. In November 2024, a 57-year-old woman in Tenerife was arrested for allegedly defrauding residents of Tenerife, La Palma, and Lanzarote out of nearly €5,000 by posting false housing ads and disappearing after receiving payments.
Earlier this year, a court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife sentenced a man to a suspended one-year prison term after he defrauded a tenant of €4,800 by posing as a property manager and fabricating messages and images of a flat that did not exist.
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