Alberto Lejarraga
AN expat who the Olive Press exposed as a holiday rental fraudster also took money for fake insurance policies.
Juliette de Courcy Withey allegedly scammed dozens of expats while working as an agent for one of Spain’s leading insurance companies.
We can reveal how the Malaga-based resident allegedly pocketed thousands of euros she was meant to hand over for insurance policies at Caser Seguros.
De Courcy, from Guaro, scammed clients by selling them invalid house and car insurance policies, having befriended them locally.
The expat – who is currently being prosecuted over a bogus rental scheme – has allegedly been up to her antics for the last two decades.
“It’s about time she paid for her scams,” Susan Platt, from Liverpool, told the Olive Press this week.
The 69-year-old revealed she only discovered a villa she rented in Marbella was not insured a year after giving De Courcy €600 in cash.
“She actually cancelled the Liberty policy the very same day she took the money,” she slammed. “I had no idea it wasn’t valid until a Liberty agent told me she was not working for them and said the policy had been cancelled.”
Another victim Marie Hertzel, from Holland, suffered a similar fate.
She and husband Rico, from Guaro, were given ‘official Caser handwritten receipts’ after paying ‘thousands in cash’ for fully comprehensive car insurance over a number of years.
They only discovered their fate when they were involved in a car accident in which the other driver was hospitalised.
To their horror they later got a call from the court saying they had to pay €3,000 to the affected party as their vehicle was ‘not insured’.
“We could not believe it,” continued Maria. “It was only then we realised we had been driving uninsured for years. And even with two kids in the car!”.
She added: “It was a horrible time but when I went to talk to Juliette and demanded she give me €3,000 she said she would sort it all out, but never did.”
Eventually, they took De Courcy to court and, this month, after 10 long years they finally learnt they will be getting their money back.
Under the settlement, De Courcy and husband, David Withey, were found guilty of ‘misappropriation’ and handed prison sentences, according to Olive Press legal sources.
“While Withey tried to take the blame the court did not buy it and sentenced both to two years in prison, suspended over the next five years,” said the lawyer
Meanwhile, two other expats Gill and Glyn Williams, from Kent, recently discovered from Caser that their car had been uninsured for the entire period they had paid De Courcy.
“We were very lucky we had no accidents,” said Gill this week.
She also believes there are many other victims including a German friend, who had to move home, plus a Swedish couple.
“And there was another British friend of ours who went to claim after an accident only to be told by Caser she was not insured.”
De Courcy declined to comment and simply replied ‘goodbye’ and hung up, when called.
While Caser failed to comment, Liberty confirmed Withey had indeed tricked customers.
A spokesman explained she had got away with it as she was collaborating with one of Liberty’s former agents, who was later sacked for ‘embezzling money’.
“It must have been through this collaboration that she had access to our office,” he said.
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