Serial scammer who pretended to be a policeman’s brother arrested after final con

Police have caught up with a serial scammer who befriended his victims by pretending to be the brother of a national policeman.

Local Police in Paterna, Valencia, have arrested Ricardo MG, 43, who made the false claim to appear bona fida while looking online for buyers for his car. After gaining the trust of his victims, he requested down payments before disappearing online and not returning calls or messages.

He was on the wanted list of the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit of the National Police after being identified as the alleged author of several scams.

Ricardo was spotted by an off-duty local policeman who recognised the con artist when he parked his Audi A3 wrongly in a shopping centre car park in Paterna.

The officer radioed for support and shortly afterwards six agents surrounded, shackled and arrested Ricardo M., who offered no resistance, at the entrance to the mall, before transferring him to the National Police station in Paterna.

Ricardo, who is from Paterna, changed his address frequently to hide his location. Police are investigating his involvement in other criminal acts committed in Valencia.