Voted BEST expat paper in Spain
Suits EU, ma’am THE Queen of England's outfit looked a little familiar to some as she opened parliament yesterday. As she spoke of making Brexit ‘successful’, social media became abuzz with how her blue and yellow ensemble ‘blatantly’ imitated the EU flag. “Is it me or is her Maj sporting a Euro flag on her head?” one viewer said. While the Queen remains officially neutral on political topics there has been debate since the referendum about her view. One person remained convinced on the issue, saying: “I always knew she was a remainer.”
Expats’ rights closer THE rights of 1.2 million Brits living in the EU and three million EU citizens in the UK appears to be inching closer. The initial focus for Brexit will be on expat rights, a financial settlement and ‘other separation issues’, it was confirmed after the first day of negotiations in Brussels. At the joint press conference on Monday, David Davis and Michel Barnier also said the issue of common travel in Ireland was important.
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Vol. 1 Issue 5
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Geldof weds
LGBT heroes
Our exclusive look at Pixie Geldof’s Mallorca nuptials
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June 22nd - July 5th 2017
A look at Spain’s greatest LGBT icons during International Pride Month
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Fake news Space-tastic Did it all begin in Spain?
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Important observatory to survive thanks to Olive Press
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Catch the scammers! EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan
THE Olive Press is demanding action against a string of fake holiday rental sites falsely advertising luxury villas across the Balearic Islands. It comes after we reported last issue that scam site Rentholidaysvillas.com was conning British tourists out of thousands of euros each year. In total, British victims lost €8.16 million in holiday scams last year, a year-onyear rise of 20%, claims the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA). In one of the worst examples, Future reported last issue, rugby star "We've laid solid foundaDean Schofield and friends tions for future discusshelled out nearly €50,000 sions and an ambitious but for a fraudulent villa break in achievable timetable," said Mallorca. Davis, Britain's Brexit minWe have now discovered ister. many other websites running Davis insisted that talks similar fraudulent schemes, about trade would occur ‘in including balearicvillaesparallel’, but Barnier said capes.com, Luxurydreamsthey would start only in a villas.com and www.digsecond phase. italdreamsholidays.com. First, ‘significant progress’ Photos of an eight-bedroomed would need to be made on Mallorca property, advertised the EU's priority issues, nofrom €800 per night on a tably the rights of expatriate fourth site spainvipholidays. citizens and a settling financom, have been lifted from a cial accounts. genuine US website luxuryreEU negotiators have insisted treats.com. that current citizens’ rights On the genuine Untitled-1.pdf 1 16/06/2017 15:36 site the actual should remain unchanged. price is from €2,930 a night.
WARNING: Olive Press investigation discovers string of fake holiday rental sites conning customers this summer
COPIED: How genuine site was scammed by Spain VIP Holidays massively reduced prices to NEWS lure victims in. Helle Heredia, from Mallorca-based rental firm Novasol, said she had heard of ‘25 to 30’ recent cases of people being scammed but believed there were ‘many more’. “It’s so scary with these scam sites - they pop up with just one purpose, of robbing people of their money in the most important time of everyone’s year - their holidays,” she Asylum drama Top-end properties around said. the whole of Spain are being “Just ensure not to be temptmarketed by the scammers at ed by fantastic offers by comJune 9th - June 22nd
Rent rage
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England rugby international and friends fury at €50,000 holiday scam EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan
RUGBY star Dean Schofield is urging action after being mauled in a sophisticated holiday shakedown. Wasps international Dean (right) and wife Gemma, both 38, were set to take a dream to break to Spain with friends celebrate the England international’s retirement. a But the vacation turned into of nightmare after the group 16 from Cheshire unwittingly booked via a fraudulent holiday property rental website. In total, scammers took payment and deposit of €5,700 €11,400 and (£5,000) be(£10,000) respectively fore swiping another €29,800 (£26,000) for the stunning villa by from Oz agent in Mallorca, which is owned site with profile stolen group and (right) fake a wealthy foreign owner. the SCAMMED: Holiday put your trust in us’ and that The group only rumbled must confess we did think they ‘believe in honesty’ the scam, via rentholidaysvillas. still get the flight over. But what “I a bit cheap for where it photos com, the day before they flew.we if we were from a normal fam- it wasand it in fact rents for a lot scammers have stolen from hundreds of properties “We were very angry when the ily and couldn’t afford to come? was, admits Gemma. more,” Portugal and found out,” Gemma told We were at least able to salvage Thankfully, the group of eight across Spain, a series of fake Olive Press this week. “It was - who Greece and has cliwe the holiday.” the adults and eight children testimonials from ‘happy’ a horrible moment and The group had come across still on holiday on the is- ents at the bottom. are do. to villa what sure weren’t stunning eight-bedroom are now trying to reclaim There are 18 properties for rent pool and grounds land “We started Googling it and we with a hugetouch with the web- their money as the booking was on the Costa del Sol and 38 in other stories came up. When and got in made via a credit card. Mallorca, as well as 38 in Ibiza emailed the person we’d been site via email. website meanwhile is still in Pordealing with at the site called The website looked extremely The despite being reported to and 21 on the Algarve, ‘Flavio’ he sent an abusive email credible and even had a photo live,web hosting company by the tugal. its Various genuine rental firms back. of its alleged owner, Flavio Herand to UK police. the Costa who did the ne- Olive Press “Luckily we were in a fortunate can we have spoken to on ar- nandes Davila, Despite boasting that ‘you position where we could gotiating. range an alternative villa and
2017
givanother email to say he had en me the wrong bank account number. “I immediately felt very uncomfortable. I believe he was going my to hit me twice. I phoned is brother and said. ‘I think this a scam.’” the Anne phoned both hers and recipient’s bank and her money was returned four days later. of “I can’t stand the thought families heading to a villa with their children to find they have nowhere to stay.” While she got her money back,a she was forced to apply for new passport after sending the a copy of her passport to
fraudsters. reThis week, an Olive Press porter, posing as a holidaymaker, enquired about renting an exclusive property with rentholidaysvillas.com. of ‘Flavio’ offered us a pricedis£3,850 a week, plus a 10% decount for full payment up front, del Sol and in Mallorca are and copy passport their a after action requesting manding legal full address. own properties were taken and When asked why he needed offered to rent at much cheaper this, ‘Flavio’ replied: “When prices. the we make the contract, we need We have discovered that deto be sure of your passport photo of Davila (left) is actually tails.” a photograph of an Australian not One genuine property rental estate agent, whom we are site, who asked to remain anonnaming, for legal reasons. the at ymous, expressed her ‘regret Another British victim of the negative impact this could site, pensioner Anne Landon, afhave on holidaymakers who said she became suspicious the have paid their deposits.’ ter booking a break through “We are deeply shocked and site and transferring £4,600 exacsaddened,” she said. “This is into one of their UK bank tremely clever criminal activity counts. on and we will always do our best “I take my grandchildren to help people who have been holiday every summer and was treated in this way.” getting pretty desperate trying from MalagaAnne, said Heredia Helle somewhere,” to find based holiday property rental 74. firm Novasol, said: “We hear “The price was very reasonable all imabout these types of scams and I was so excited. But the time and the name ‘Flavio’ mediately after booking he sent has been mentioned several times by guests that have been us scammed before reaching to for help. enforcement on alleged “My advice for holiday makers, Rentholidaysv illas.com fraud and have processes is to book with well-known and is hosted by US-based for taking action. If anyrental comholiday established which server GoDaddy, one believes they have panies, check there is a valida they was warned as long ago by been defrauded phone number, always use a as April of the scam should contact law encredit-card when you make a leading holiday rental forcement.” booking, Google the websites site in Spain. When asked Contact your local pofirst to check if they have been why it was still live this lice and Action Fraud reported for scams before and week, GoDaddy Digital and email newsdesk@ always remember if it sounds Crimes boss Ben Butler, theolivepress.es if you’ve too good to be true – it probexplained: “We commu- been scammed. ably is!” nicate regularly with law
STOP THE SCAMMERS
From front page
since. ken to his daughter just once asylum to avoid “It’s morally wrong, seeking the law. in Norway with “My lawyer said if everyone to escape the a legal problem ran to a church more churches,” law we better start building
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he continued. school and is He claims Maia is not attending the organ and sing only able to learn to play an appropriwith the choir, which is ‘hardly ate syllabus’. this however, Local vicar Knut Bjune deniedcoming to the insisting local teachers were ‘almost all the church to give her lessons time’. their living and “Socially she is not isolated the Olive Press. this week conditions are good,” he told and we have WISHES: On Maia’s birthday “We are not hiding information long term.” Supreme Court will probe made it clear this cannot be call to Maia - A Norwegian asylum claim this month. In the one, heartrending phone tearful youngster Bjørnsen’s lawyer, Vidar Helgheim, claimed which Shepherd taped - the she wants to Bjørnsen’s now ‘changed’ the can be heard telling her brothers that ‘new information’ had it. to disclose return to Spain. Elden, con- case, but refused Sol lawyer case was based on very little Shepherd’s Norwegian and ask is not a place to “The (original) firmed this week: “A church responsibilities. information. You have to go deeperhe said. ended up in this situation,” the Olwithdraw yourself from legal she why police spokesperson told It is an abuse of church asylum. the girl back to A Norwegian would not intervene while Maia “It is her duty to now bring ive Press they ruling.” Spain after the final court to Norwegian gov- remained in the church. and arrest Shepherd has now written Horne demand- “The police will not enter a church said ernment minister Solveigservices dismissed someone who has requested protection,” of Police District Møre og ing help after local child action would Ingar Boen, Chief Maia’s case, saying no further Romsdal. be taken.
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panies you have never heard about. Don't let scammers ruin your holidays.” The fraudsters, who are very difficult to track down, are very good at creating fake profiles and, as revealed last issue, the photo for the agent ‘Flavio’ for rentholidaysvillas.com was actually an Australian estate agent. We have now discovered that a photo of Balearicvillaescapes ‘property agent’ Alba Portillo Olivares is actually a stolen photo of Paloma Bonder, director of top Ibiza luxury
villa rental company Bonder and Co. Both fake websites Spainvipholidays.com and BalearicVillaEscapes.com are listing the same properties, use the same website template, with both website domains having the same Google verification key. An IT expert told the Olive Press that this was a classic case of ‘domain farming’ and criticised Google for not taking the sites down immediately. All three scam websites are hosted by US-based firm GoDaddy, which also hosts Renholidaysvillas.com. The UK’s Action Fraud confirmed it is now investigating rentholidaysvillas.com, although at the time of going to press had not responded to our enquiries. GoDaddy was made aware of Rentholidaysvillas.com’s fraudulent activity in April, but the site, and the three others, are still live. A GoDaddy spokesperson told the Olive Press: “Our Digital Crimes Unit still have not received any inquiries or requests from law enforcement on these websites.”
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