The two Irishmen were arrested on the Costa Brava last week where it’s alleged they conned a local out of thousands of euro in the infamous tarmac scam that gangs are using all over Europe
Police on the Costa Brava in Spain arrested the two Irishmen last week. (Image: Mossos de Esquadra)
Spanish cops have arrested two Irishmen – on suspicion of taking part in a notorious scam in the heart of a tourist area.
The pair were arrested last week on the Costa Brava and are suspected of conning a local out of thousands of euro – in what is now known all over Europe as the Irish scam.
The men were part of a seven strong gang which allegedly threatened and coerced the victim in at attempt to get him to handover thousands of euro for work he did not want done – and even blocked him in his house so he would pay the debt.
Cops are now warning other homeowners in the area to be on their guard for other con artists working the scams.
Such fraudsters are now moving all over Europe – and earning a fortune from the scam.
The gangs is understood to be made up of people from Ireland and England as well as other parts of Europe – but authorities simply call it the ‘Irish scam’.
Sources tell us the gangs are operating three main scams – and are earning a fortune from them every week.
In the first scam, the criminals pretend to be crews working on tarmac contracts for local authorities.
They go from door to door telling homeowners they have surplus tarmac from the job – and offer to recover their driveway for a good price.
The Costa Brava is popular with Irish tourists
The gangs carry out the work – but it is so shoddy that the new tarmac began to crack after just a few days and they have already left the area.
Another scam sees gangs calling to people’s doors and telling them they have spotted minor faults on the exterior of their house – and offering to fix them for a cheap price.
But once the deal is agreed and the work begins, the scammers claim to have discovered more serious issues – and charge exorbitant prices to repair them.
And a third scam the gangs are involved in sees them fleecing innocent punters on the street.
In recent years, cops in several European countries have reported cases where Irishmen approach passers-by on the street asking for help – usually after claiming their car has been broken into.
They say they need cash for repairs and ask them to withdraw money for them.
They show them a banking app on their phones and say they will transfer the money into their own account if they facilitate them by giving them the cash.
But the app they show the targets is fake and they make off with the hard cash.
A photograph of shoddy tarmac work issued by French police last year as part of their warning to locals to be aware of the “Irish scammers”. (Image: Gendarmerie des Ardennes/Facebook)
The latest reported incident happened in the town of Llort de Mar the Costa Brava, a tourist hotspot where up to 200,000 Irish people holiday each year.
Reports in Spain say a local man was approached by the seven men who claimed to laying tarmac in the area and offered to work on his home.
He agreed a certain level of work on his driveway for a fee and the men got to work.
But they then started laying tarmac on a bigger area than he had agreed.
They then demanded more money for the work he did not want done.
And when he refused the gang used their van to block him in his house and said they would not move it unless he paid the debt.
The panicked homeowner then called in the local police, known as the Mossos d’Esquadra.
They arrived at the scene and arrested two alleged ringleaders of the scam – both of whom are Irish. They found more than €6,000 in cash on them and investigators now believe there may have been another victim in the area.
Both men were later released, but are under formal investigation.
The Mossos d’Esquadra has now advised people in the area who fear theyare being scammed to call police immediately.
Want to see more of the stories you love from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click here.