A man and a woman have been detained by Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária over a suspected scam that allegedly cost a 90-year-old man around 400,000 euros. The alleged scheme targeted the elderly victim between 2022 and 2026 in the Entroncamento and in Santarém. Police say the couple, married to each other, worked together to put forward supposed deals involving cars and property that never materialised. The victim is accused of making multiple bank transfers to accounts belonging to relatives and friends of the suspects. Police say the money was then moved to an account linked to the woman. Investigators also suspect money laundering, alleging that the payments were processed through the couple’s networks. The explanation offered by the suspects was that the transactions were due to “error or engano”. After being presented to the competent judicial authority, the two suspects were ordered to attend twice-weekly reporting sessions with the local police authority and were banned from contacting the victim. Both are aged 38 and 43 and, according to the police, have criminal records for several crimes.