AN elderly love-struck Valancian man was conned out of €67,000 by a female fraudster.
The woman, 33, has been arrested by the Policia Nacional in Torrent on fraud charges after running a ‘love scam’ on her 87-year-old victim.
The detainee has a criminal record and was convicted of swindling €7,500 out of a man in 2013.
In the latest case, the woman took time to identify a possible ‘mark’ and set up a ‘chance encounter’ which saw the start of her building up a friendship with the man
Once she built up some trust, she asked for loans from him on several occasions.
She strung him along even though both of them even signed documents confirming the loans.
The conwoman’s demands increased with bogus stories of family problems and health issues that needed financial help.
The man duly obliged but eventually the penny dropped that he was being taken for a ride and he filed a complaint with the police.
The Policia Nacional said that such scams are not uncommon and can produce even greater problems for some victims.
There have been cases where elderly men have sold homes; dipped into pensions funds; or obtained loans to fund the financial wishes of young female fraudsters.
Image Credit: Policia Nacional