Eight Brits have been charged over false food poisoning claims

A court in Palma has convicted a gang of eight Brits who organised false food poisoning claims.

The group who appeared in a Palma court in Mallorca on Wednesday, January 25 were charged with encouraging visitors to the island to report that they had been the subject of food poisoning. The people were encouraged to do so in an effort to extort compensation from hotels and tour operators.

In total, some €200,000 is said to have been raised through fraudulent claims by the gang, who have been charged with aggravated fraud and criminal organisation.

The cases go back to 2016 and 2017 with British tourists staying at all-inclusive resorts targeted. The gang prepared the case for the “claimant” showing that they had been ill during their stay.

That enabled the “claimant” to extort compensation from their insurance company and the resorts at which they stayed.

Two brothers are said to have been behind the idea of using a company they set up to send the information to a law firm in the UK with which they had a working relationship. The documentation would then be used to raise a claim, with the brothers taking a percentage of the compensation.

The eight involved were asked to plead and will appear in court again in the near future with the judge giving the go-ahead for the prosecution to present their evidence.

The eight Brits have not been named but are believed to be well-known among the local expat community, and if found guilty could be sentenced to jail over the false food poisoning claims

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