UPDATE: Malaga travel agency boss blames staff for business collapse after losing €280,000 in ‘fake soldier’ scam

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Florinda, owner of the Florín agency, claims she was a victim of a sophisticated ‘romance scam’ involving a fraudster posing as a soldier in Lebanon

María José Díaz Alcalá

Thursday, 12 February 2026, 10:57

The owner of a Malaga travel agency that collapsed in 2024, leaving hundreds of holidaymakers stranded, has blamed her employees for the business's failure - while admitting she funneled €280,000 to a scammer posing as a soldier.

Florinda, the proprietor of the Florín travel agency, confessed she even pawned her own jewellery to "help her friend," a man she had been talking to on social media for a year.

For years, Florinda ran the successful Florín agency with several branches across Malaga province alongside a pet shop. She claims she worked from "9am to 9pm, without ever taking a holiday," a lifestyle she says left her feeling isolated and vulnerable.

The fake soldier

She eventually found solace in messages from a stranger on Facebook. Despite initially ignoring him, the man - who claimed to be a soldier on a mission in Lebanon - won her trust with daily "good morning" and "good night" messages.

The pair eventually moved their conversation to WhatsApp, exchanging photos and plans for a future together after his supposed retirement.

The financial drain began with a request for just €50 for an "embassy document." However, the investigation reveals that over the course of a year, Florinda sent a staggering €280,000 to the network behind the fake soldier.

The agency's sudden closure in 2024 sparked a wave of police reports from customers who had paid for holidays they could no longer take. This led to the arrest of Florinda, her husband, her daughter, and two employees in September 2024.

It was only during her time in prison that Florinda says she realised she had fallen victim to a sophisticated "romance scam."

Blaming her staff

Now, Florinda is attempting to distance herself from the agency's downfall, pointing the finger at her workforce. She claims her employees abandoned their posts due to "anxiety and depression" without informing her, at a time when she believed she was already retired.

With her bank accounts currently frozen, she claims to be destitute. "I’ve had to ask for help; we’ve been without a single euro for 17 months," she said.

However, her version of events has been met with fury by former clients. "She is only telling lies," say the victims of the Florín agency, many of whom are still fighting to recover the money they lost on cancelled trips.