Alex Trelinski
A BURGLAR has been arrested for stealing from Torrevieja area houses and then letting them out as holiday homes.
The Guardia Civil detained the 39-year-old Spaniard on a variety of charges including robbery and fraud.
His most notable scam was to set up fake holiday rentals after stealing from the properties and then claiming that they all belonged to him.
Once he realised he had broken into a vacation home, the fraudster decided to maximise his income via his unofficial rental portfolio.
In one case, he showed a tenant around a house after breaking the front door lock because he claimed to have left his keys inside.
A few days later, after parting with €200, the temporary occupier reported the conman to the Guardia after realising that it was not his property.
Another victim took a flat in an apartment block only to discover medicine bottles with someone else’s name on them.
The building’s concierge told the victim that the person who actually lived there was female.
