A woman was detained on Monday in Leiria after being caught in a fake rental scheme.
The Public Security Police (PSP) released a statement on Wednesday stating that the arrest was made pursuant to a warrant issued following a final judicial decision on September 16, 2022. The ruling required either the fulfillment of a 173-day prison sentence or an alternative fine payment amounting to €1,430.00.
Confronted with the situation, the woman chose to pay the fine and was subsequently released.
The statement provides details of the case, explaining that it began nearly a decade ago, in 2016, when the woman signed a lease agreement for a property in Leiria but failed to make the agreed payments. The property owner, residing abroad, requested family members to visit the property to address the issue.
“The individuals residing in the property were not the suspect but rather a couple, who promptly presented the lease agreement made with the property owner in December 2017,” the statement recounts. It notes that the woman posed as the legal representative of the rightful owner and entered into a fraudulent rental contract, thereby gaining an illicit financial benefit of €4,400.00.
The woman was convicted of trust abuse, fraud, and document forgery committed in 2017 and 2018, the statement elaborates.
