Woman facing prison for fake rental scam in Tenerife
A woman is due to stand trial on 5th November at the Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, accused of running a fake property rental scam in which she allegedly charged deposits for long-term residential properties that did not exist.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, she faces three years and seven months in prison for aggravated fraud, after reportedly deceiving a couple and a man by making them believe she was the owner of the properties.
The victims transferred €1,200 and €550 respectively — money that the prosecution says the defendant must repay, along with an additional €500 for moral damages and a €2,700 fine.
Investigators allege that the woman advertised at least two rental homes through an online app, even though she did not have access to or ownership of them. After convincing the victims via WhatsApp and phone calls, she allegedly received the payments and then blocked their contact numbers before withdrawing the money.
The first case involved a couple who transferred two payments of €600, supposedly for a reservation and the first month’s rent, while the second victim sent €550 as a deposit — none of which were ever returned.
The prosecution considers the evidence sufficient to prove that the woman never intended to provide accommodation, and instead used the listings to defraud would-be tenants, a growing concern amid Tenerife’s ongoing rental housing crisis.
Share:
