“The Judiciary Police, through the Southern Directorate, carried out today, in the Algarve region, a police operation in which a 49-year-old woman was arrested, suspected of qualified fraud and forgery of documents, carried out against several people, and whose losses amounted to at least 235 thousand euros”, according to a statement.

The criminal police add that they began investigating this case in 2022, having “strong indications” that the detainee, under the cover of claiming the false status of an agent, solicitor and sales manager, approached potential clients over time in the real estate sector, in the Algarve, claiming to hold properties for sale, without the knowledge of their owners.

The suspect entered into contracts for the purchase and sale of these properties with potential interested parties, by presenting false powers of attorney, giving her special powers of representation, supposedly signed by the owners of the properties, explains the PJ.

Also according to the statement, the detainee received amounts from these clients as a reserve or deposit, “which she appropriated, never signing the definitive contract, as it was a non-existent business”.

The PJ says that following home and non-domestic searches, it was possible to seize computer and telecommunications equipment, as well as a large collection of evidentiary documents.