Police arrest a tourist for falsely reporting he was robbed and his credit card used

The National Police have arrested a 66-year-old male tourist charged with filing a false police report and fraud committed in the south of Tenerife. Investigators were drawn to a report that caught their attention in which an Icelandic tourist claimed to have been a victim of a violent robbery, and shortly after, had charges totalling 8,000 euros on his stolen credit card.

The officers identified the location where the credit card was used, which is a “nightlife establishment”, analysed the times the card was used and interviewed members of staff and witnesses who were on the premises at the time of the alleged incidents.

During these investigations, they discovered that the complainant had spent several hours at the venue, had made multiple purchases, and had frequently treated other partygoers.

Once officers had gathered sufficient evidence, they went to the hotel where the Icelandic man was staying and arrested him for knowingly fabricating the story and reporting he was the victim of a crime.

The National Police reminds the public that this kind of offence carries a fine and potential jail time of between 6 and 12 months.