Gigolo fraudsters selling romance dance into cuffs

Police on Thursday arrested six people who had conned more than 180 men with false offers of work as gigolos. The group, which operated out of Fuengirola, Málaga province, gleaned some 53,000 euros from the aspirants.

The men were duped by advertisements in the press across Spain, in which work as an escort was offered in return for attractive financial gains. Once the false company had been contacted, the group directed the interested parties to websites supposedly detailing the conditions of the post. In order to register with the company, the victims were told to deposit money - between 200 euros and 1,000 euros - in various accounts, whereupon the fraudsters were meant to put them in contact with potential clients. These introductions never materialized, and the money went unrefunded.