Civil guard officers carried out court-authorised searches of homes and business addresses in and around Puerto Portals marina, the residential Benidat area and San Agustin, Mirror Online reports. All are close to the popular tourist destination of Magaluf and Majorcan capital Palma.
Documents and computers were seized and it is believed six people were arrested. Reports have claimed ‘two or three’ of these are British nationals.
The move is the latest step in an on-going investigation in Majorca aimed at an alleged organised operation thought to be behind hundreds of fake sickness claims.
The probe was sparked after the local Mac Hotels Group hired private detectives to look into food poisoning claims made by guests. It claimed that it had received 273 claims for compensation involving almost 800 guests in 2016, but only 32 people had been to the doctor during their holiday. The alleged fraud was estimated to be worth up to £4 million.
Holiday companies are increasingly turning the spotlight on ‘claim farmers’ in-resort, who approach holidaymakers and encourage them to seek compensation for (in some cases) non-existent illnesses.
