COSTA DEL SOL NEWS: Carer ‘swindled man’ aged 95 out of €210,000

A CARER, her partner, three family members and two tax advisors have been arrested for allegedly swindling a 95-year-old man out of €210,000 on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

They are being investigated for possible crimes of membership of a criminal organisation, money laundering, fraud, misappropriation and ill-treatment of the victim, who lives in the town of Antequera in Malaga province,

The investigation, dubbed Operation Rosignol, started last January when health workers alerted the Guardia Civil to a ‘strong argument’ between a 95-year-old man and his carer in a health centre. 

Police followed up on the report and found evidence that the elderly man was being abused by his carer and cash was systematically disappearing from his bank accounts. 

It all began after the death of the old man’s wife in 2017. With no children or close relatives, he hired a carer. Police say she took the opportunity, together with her partner, to set up a criminal structure to first steal then launder the victim’s money. 

The investigation revealed that they both held several powers of attorney in order to be able to manage his bank accounts and properties.  

With this documentation they withdrew cash savings from his bank as well as accessing pensions that he received from Switzerland and Spain valued at €5,500 a month. 

They also plotted to have the carer marry the victim so they could appropriate all his assets. 

His money was withdrawn in cash and re-entered in other bank accounts with different accountholder names in order to avoid being detected, for which they used two tax advisors and several relatives. 

They are alleged to have bought a house and a car with the €210,000 stolen. 

Searches were carried out at two properties in Antequera and Torrevieja (Alicante), with numerous documents seized. Two houses, a car and eight bank accounts have been blocked.