A ruthless fraudster, who has cheated several Algarve homeowners out of more than €1 million, is on the run after Faro police failed to arrest or question him about his reported criminal activities over the past two years.
A British couple, who have been residents in Portugal since 2018, raising their family on their property near Loulé, planned to build a second home on their land for their daughter and a live-in carer once their daughter reached adulthood.
The couple wanted to temporarily live with their whole family in this separate home, while having their existing villa renovated.
In November 2022, this British couple researched how to construct their daughter’s home, including an expanded driveway and additions to their swimming pool. After finding the website www.mod-eco.com on the internet, they made an appointment to view the Eco Modular Homes Unipessoal Lda workshop in Loulé, in November 2022.
They met the company’s CEO, Sam Chamberlain, and decided to order the delivery of materials and proceed with the construction of a four-bedroom modular home. Since then, they have learned via a specialist private investigator and public company records that Sam Chamberlain was previously known as Sam William Jenkins, born 14 December 1985, in Birmingham, England.
He changed his name shortly after arriving in Portugal in 2016. He stole from his then employer, the Casa Fajara boutique hotel in Vale da Carrapateira, before eventually setting up Eco Modular Homes, Unipessoal Lda with a partner, Bruna Viana Cardoso, a Brazilian national, on 18 January 2023.
The British couple received a quote from Chamberlain for the proposed new home, as well as for the construction of a driveway, and work on their swimming pool. The quote stipulated a project completion date of July 2023.
The couple confirmed by email to Chamberlain acceptance of this quote on the following terms: 50% payment as a deposit, 35% payable upon half-completion, and 15% payment upon completion of the project.
In order to speed up delivery of the required building materials, the British couple paid cash or made transfers to Chamberlain via the Santander Bank in Portugal, Revolut and Lloyds Bank in the UK. The project was never completed, and Chamberlain fled with the money.
In April, construction work began on the driveway in front of the family’s main house. The work was delayed and progressed slowly. It was never finished and was left with a dangerous access, full of deep holes.
Meanwhile, through social media messages and videos, the couple has learned that €1 million has been defrauded from other residents, both Portuguese and foreign.
Other victims include one who was defrauded of €40,000 and another who ordered the building of two houses. At least half a dozen others have been ripped off.
In April 2023, unbeknownst to the British couple, Eco Modular employees reported Sam Chamberlain and the company to the Policia Judicaria (PJ) in Faro. They told Inspector Catia Morais about their suspicions of fraud and criminality. Another employee contacted the PJ and provided an extensive dossier of documents to Inspector Morais.
Intel Suisse, the financial fraud investigator looking into this scam, has unearthed Chamberlain’s past UK background and activities. The British couple has filed complaints with the Faro PJ, based on the belief that Sam William Jenkins moved to the Algarve from England in 2016, changed his name to Sam William Chamberlain soon thereafter, and embarked on a campaign of criminality.
Written by Len Port, based on information provided by David Mapley - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
