Question 1

What is the "Fake Holiday Rental Listings" scam in Torremolinos?

Accepted Answer

Fraudulent apartment listings for Torremolinos and nearby Playamar beach appear on classified sites and social media, using stolen photos of real properties. Victims wire a deposit or full payment to a bank account, receiving a professional-looking rental agreement PDF. On arrival the property does not exist at the stated address or is already occupied by legitimate guests, and the scammer is uncontactable. Book only through platforms with secure payment escrow such as Airbnb or Booking.com. Never wire money to a personal bank account for holiday accommodation. Search the property address on Google Maps Street View before paying to verify the building exists and matches the photos.

Question 2

What is the "Phishing via Free Wi-Fi at Beach Bars" scam in Torremolinos?

Accepted Answer

Free Wi-Fi networks at beach bars along Playamar and La Carihuela promenade are spoofed by operators running rogue hotspots with near-identical names. Connecting to a fake hotspot routes traffic through an attacker-controlled proxy. Login pages for email and social media are intercepted, and credentials are harvested. Victims typically notice unauthorised account access days after returning home. Verify the exact Wi-Fi name with a staff member before connecting. Use a VPN on any public or hotel Wi-Fi. Avoid logging into banking or email on public networks. Enable two-factor authentication on all accounts before travelling so a compromised password alone cannot grant access.

Online Scams in Torremolinos

Fake Holiday Rental Listings

Phishing via Free Wi-Fi at Beach Bars

Experienced a scam here?