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A well-known insurance broker in San Javier has been arrested for allegedly scamming nearly a dozen expat clients by selling them car insurance policies that were never actually valid.

 

The 40-year-old woman, who ran an office franchised by a major national insurance company in the Mar Menor area, is accused of pocketing customers' money without properly setting up their policies. Most of her clients were foreign nationals living in the local area.

 

The Guardia Civil launched ‘Operation Roncol’ in the middle of last summer after several Mar Menor residents reported they'd been the victims of a scam. The complainants all told the same story: they'd insured their vehicles at the brokerage in San Javier and later discovered during routine police checks that they were driving without insurance.

 

Officers gathered information about the office linked to all the complaints and found that the premises had closed. The victims had nowhere to turn when both the office and the woman who'd acted as manager vanished.

 

The investigation continued by analysing the bank accounts where payments had been made and the phone numbers used to maintain contact with clients. This allowed investigators to identify the suspect.

 

According to the inquiry, the woman's criminal activity involved selling policies that were never properly registered. She's believed to have used an intermediary company to channel the proceeds.

 

After uncovering how the scam worked, the Guardia Civil launched a major search for possible victims who, despite having taken out policies, could be driving without valid civil liability insurance. So far 11 people have been identified as having been defrauded.

 

Operation Roncol has ended with the arrest of the woman, who faces 11 charges of fraud and document falsification.

 

For more local news, events and visiting information contact the tourist offices of San Javier (main contact number 661 572285) or go to the home page of San Javier Today.

 

Images: Guardia Civil