A 73-year-old retiree committed suicide after an alleged fraud in Spain took almost all of his savings. The case now returns to the present day because, according to SUR in English, five defendants are going to trial. According to the same source, in around two weeks the bill went from 58,278 euros to just 68.73 euros.
The case dates back to 2022, but now it is back in the spotlight because five defendants will sit in the dock in Malaga.
The victim, identified as Pedro, lived on the Costa del Sol, in the province of Málaga.
Family associates death with fraud
Pedro was found dead on June 6, 2022, less than a month after filing a complaint about the disappearance of the money. According to the same source, the family believes that the suicide was directly related to the situation he was in.
The prosecution maintains that Pedro was left in a “very precarious” situation and was unable to meet the monthly payments, which caused him “deep personal anguish”.
Account was almost at zero
According to the summary of the case cited by , Pedro had 58,278 euros in his account. Between April 24 and May 10, 2022, 73 fraudulent transactions will have been made with your card.
The operations included withdrawals from ATMs, purchases in stores and supermarkets and expenses at nightlife venues. At the end of that period, only 68.73 euros remained.
Card has been used without authorization
According to the aforementioned complaint, the suspects had taken possession of Pedro’s bank card and a piece of paper on which he had written his PIN.
The exact way in which the card was obtained was not determined. The accusation places the appropriation of the card between April 18 and 24, 2022. According to the investigation, the operations were carried out without the knowledge or authorization of the account holder.
Police identified suspects
The investigation by the Spanish National Police initially led to the arrest of eight people in 2023, as reported then by Cadena SER, Europa Press and other Spanish media.
Now, both the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the private prosecution have requested the case be closed in relation to three of them. Therefore, five defendants will have to answer in court. The indictment places three of these defendants at the center of the alleged scam: two men and one woman.
Clue in supermarket helped investigation
One of the decisive clues came in a supermarket. A woman paid for purchases with the victim’s card and asked to take a courtesy cart to the car. To do this, he had to leave his personal details with the employee, which helped investigators find other suspects.
The complaint also states that two of the accused tried to partially hide their faces with masks and caps during various operations, to make identification through security cameras difficult.
Defendants risk prison sentences
The Malaga Fiscalía asks for six years in prison for the two men accused of estafa and three years and six months for the woman.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office also requests that the two men jointly compensate Pedro’s legal heirs in R$58,210, the amount allegedly defrauded, plus R$20,000 for moral damages.
The private prosecution calls for heavier sentences, which could reach eight years in prison for two of the accused, and also wants to bring to trial two more women allegedly linked to the scheme.
Case exposes impact of banking scams
The case illustrates how bank fraud can have devastating consequences, especially when it affects vulnerable people or those dependent on their life savings.
According to the Bank of Spain, in the event of theft, loss or fraudulent use of a card, the cardholder must immediately notify the issuing entity to block it, file a complaint with the police and check account movements. The Spanish regulator also recommends never writing down the PIN next to the card or carrying it written in your wallet, precisely to reduce the risk of misuse.
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