A British holidaymaker has been left £16,000 out of pocket after two thieves swiped his phone and made a series of transactions. The unfortunate incident occurred while the man was vacationing in Benidorm , Spain , where his phone was stolen and subsequently used to spend £16,000. Two suspects, aged 19 and 20 have been apprehended by the Policia Nacional, according to reports.
It is believed that the British tourist was targeted after the duo observed him closely to gain access to his phone code. The victim reported the theft to local authorities and stated that unknown individuals had conducted several transfers and payments from his phone, even applying for bank loans under his name. Police investigations revealed that three men had been receiving transfers from the Brit's bank account, although one of them was also a theft victim.
In a bid to mislead the police, the thieves transferred money to themselves and another theft victim before moving funds from his account to their own. The pair were later identified, located and arrested on fraud charges, as reported by Olive Press. The Policia Nacional advised against entering passwords and codes on phones in the presence of strangers who could potentially be observing, reports the Mirror.
They also recommended using different passwords for banking apps to prevent thieves from accessing accounts in case of phone theft. A slew of break-ins has sent shockwaves through the British expat community in Spain's sunny Costa Del Sol I.