The National Police have arrested a 54-year-old resident of Cartagena, in Murcia, for allegedly posing as the owner of a travel agency to defraud 33 people from a senior citizens' association by offering them a trip that never materialized and for which he received financial advances, police sources report in a statement. The scammers advanced a total of 500 euros per person for the reservation of the fictitious and non-existent Mediterranean cruise.
According to the investigation report, the woman, who had previously been arrested for similar incidents, took advantage of a fair held in Cartagena to offer a member of a seniors' association a cruise trip through the Mediterranean Sea at a very good price.
Once he had captured the interest of the association, he made an appointment with its members to inform them about the details of the cruise. Specifically, the trip would have a total cost of 950 euros per person, although those interested had to pay in advance, in cash, a total of 500 as a reservation.
The woman even gave them a dossier with all the details, including a document from a well-known cruise operator with whom she was not authorized to work. Once the payments were received, the alleged scammer began to make excuses of various kinds with the same result: the trip was not going to take place and the clients would not receive their money back.
The investigation by specialized agents of the National Police revealed that the detainee pretended to be the owner of a travel agency and organized different tours, all of them aimed at older people.
The woman was placed at the disposal of the Cartagena Court of Investigation, which ordered her provisional entry into prison.
