The police are alerting house owners and those renting property in Nerja and surrounding areas, to the presence of individuals pretending to be members of local electricity companies.
The fake electricians or representatives call at an individual house, use deception to get invited into the house and then they distract the householder, sometimes by asking them to look for broken fuses at the fuse box in order to hold their attention long enough to rob their home. Another accomplice may then try to search the house for valuables whilst the house holder is distracted. Another notable tactic that has been reported is that one of the group would normally hold a mobile phone to his ear throughout the duration pretending to call head office, allowing him to stay in the house whilst they send the house owner outside to do or get something.
Foreign residents and the elderly are particularly being targeted, however the authorities want to alert all. They also remind residents and visitors to the area that electricity companies on official business will generally make an appointment first and if in any doubt it is advisable to call the police.
