A 44-year-old man was arrested in Xàtiva (Valencia), suspected of fraud; he allegedly swindled 2,600 euros out of a friend, making her believe his daughter had cancer.
The friend, whom he had met on the internet several months previously, was taken in by photos of his daughter and videos of her crying. He also told her that he, himself, had cancer, too.
The money was for cancer treatment and he had promised that he would return it. The man had also claimed that he was a policeman.
Police investigations confirmed that she had agreed to meet him after months of internet contact and had handed over the money after he signed a document in which he recognised that he had received the said sum and that he was to return at a later date a total of 9,000 euros.
The man had also blocked her telephone number on two of his phones but when she finally managed to contact him he claimed that he had made the transfer but there were problems at the bank; something that surprised him, he claimed, as it was the bank “that handled police salaries.”
The arrested man, who has a criminal record that includes similar practice, has been remanded in custody.
(News; Xativa, Valencia)