Tenerife Police Arrest Scammer in €176k "Son in Distress" Fraud

Police in Santa Cruz de Tenerife have arrested a member of a traveling group that scams people. The arrest followed an investigation that started last November.

An elderly woman had reported being scammed using a method called "the child in distress." She explained that someone she didn't know contacted her, pretending to be her son. This person claimed his phone was broken and he had a new number. He said he was in an urgent situation and needed money. He also told her that his "manager" would call her soon.

Later, another person called, claiming to be her son's manager. This person arranged for an envelope containing 42,000 euros to be picked up by a third individual. The scammers then contacted the woman again, asking her to send more money through bank transfers and at an ATM. She ended up sending an additional 34,750 euros this way.

In the days that followed, the scammer kept calling her, now asking for valuable items. The woman then handed over more than half a kilo of jewelry, worth 100,000 euros. After this, the scammer tried to get even more money from her. However, her bank staff noticed many unusual transactions in her accounts and warned her that she might be a victim of a scam.

Investigators learned that the victim had agreed to another money drop a few days after she filed her complaint. They set up a surveillance operation outside her home. This led to the arrest of an 18-year-old man. He had arrived on the island that morning specifically to collect the money arranged by the person who usually spoke with the victim, planning to return to the mainland hours later.

The arrested man was handed over to the court, which released him but with charges. Police are continuing their investigation to fully break up this criminal group that targets elderly people with this type of scam.