Walter Finch
BRITISH tourists are calling for action against fraudulent traders on the holiday island of Tenerife over a long-running scam thought to have cost holidaymakers thousands
The scheme typically involves offering last-day holidaymakers good deals on electronic devices, such as laptops, phones, and iPads.
However, when it comes to payment, the store owners either charge a much higher fee than agreed or clone the customer’s debit or credit card while distracting them, Mail Online writes.
A string of elderly victims, targeted presumably because of their age, have come forward.
They allege that prices for simple items such as a tablet or a phone, which were advertised for £150, would end up costing them £2,000.
One victim, Andy Evans, aged 64, from Doncaster, lost a staggering £1,676 last year – and his bank still refuses to refund him.
He said he found it ‘absolutely abhorrent’ that the group is still getting away with the scam.
Evans was enjoying a drink with his wife in the Los Cristianos resort when they decided to buy some t-shirts and souvenirs for their grandchildren.
They went to the store next door, where the owner approached them, who also happened to own the adjacent bar.
After striking up a conversation, the owner offered them a tablet at a great price, which Mr. Evans paid for in cash.
The store’s software engineer then insisted on upgrading the tablet with a subscription package, allowing them to watch UK television while abroad.
After Mr. Evans put in his PIN to pay, the merchant said they were having internet problems and took the machine away – the moment when they allegedly cloned his card.
The men then drove him to another string of stores they owned in nearby Puerto Colon, where he made a successful payment of €14.50.
However, upon his return to the UK, he found out that £1,678.76 was pending in his account, prompting an urgent call to his bank, who refused to stop the payment.
Mr. Evans believes that the scammers use the bar adjacent to their store to scout for unsuspecting victims and gauge who is on their final day of holiday.
“I consider myself quite astute and certainly not born yesterday,” Mr Evans said, “but these guys were very smart in their approach and follow up.”
He warned others visiting the resort of Los Cristianos to be vigilant to the scam.
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