Albufeira - 90-year-old loses €340,000 in cash and property scams

eurozoneA man and two women accused of stealing from a 90-year-old Albufeira resident, took advantage of his inability to read or write and enriched themselves by €340,000, claims the prosecution.
 
According to the Public Prosecutor, two of defendants, a mother and daughter, aged 54 and 22, helped by the victim’s godson, a man of 66, - "little by little, they gained his confidence."
 
"The victim had considerable property assets and sizeable sums in his bank accounts. He lived alone and could not read or write, therefore being especially vulnerable," state the prosecution.
 
The three defendants are joined by another person in various scams and thefts. A 63-year-old lawyer also is accused of falsifying documents, "taking advantage of the victim's vulnerability and deceiving him about the content of documents presented to him, he signed proxies in their favour and signed contracts for the purchase and sale of real estate.”
 
The group of alleged fraudsters also took money from the victim's bank accounts and "asked him for large sums of money without any intention of returning them."
 
By their behaviour, these defendants have caused the victim a loss of more than €340,000," stated the prosecution.
 
The two women and the godchild of the victim are charged with false statements, document falsification, abuse of trust and theft.