Massive fake rental scam leaves hundreds stranded near Maricarmen Abascal's former home

Since Friday, dozens of families and individual travelers have arrived at a residential address in Madrid's Retiro district, expecting a short-term rental advertised on Booking.com. The property, described as a 53-square-metre apartment with premium services, is in fact a private home, and a notice on the door tells victims to file a complaint with the Policía Nacional. Over 800 people have been affected in the past five days, including a Nigerian group en route to Milan, a Moroccan family with a baby, and retirees from Ecuador.

The scam has drawn attention because the building is located just minutes from the house recently repossessed from Maricarmen Abascal, a development that sparked a national political crisis. Despite the influx of complaints, the listing stayed active on the platform, and Booking.com and Airbnb have reported a rise in online travel-booking frauds nationwide.