Bogus gas inspectors stole up to €4m

Four people were arrested in Malaga for their alleged involvement with a criminal organisation carrying out bogus gas inspections in private homes.

Twenty-six people have been arrested in total in Malaga, Alicante, Madrid and the Balearic Islands, and are thought to have tricked as many as 5,000 people. Another two have been charged, also in Malaga.

They offered periodic gas inspections initially telling the victims it would cost them €50.

However, once the ‘repairs’ began, they told them that they had found other problems which would put the price up, and on occasions charged up to €1,200.

In some cases they also stole valuable items from the homes they entered.

The victims were normally elderly foreign residents in Spain.

They are thought to have obtained close to €4 million with the fraud.

The Guardia Civil recommends not letting anyone unknown into the home and checking the identity of alleged gas inspectors by calling the official number of the company they claim to work for.