It could have been the perfect fraud. Ina Z. (51) had planned everything meticulously: siphoning off 2.3 million euros from client accounts, arranging a fake death certificate, and starting a new life under the palm trees.
For ten years, the German woman lived undetected on Mallorca in Spain - until a selfie with her beloved Standard Poodle proved to be her downfall.
Trickery nets her millions
Between 2009 and 2019, Ina Z. worked for a solar company on the Balearic Islands. Armed with a power of attorney, she handled the company's tax payments, worth millions, or so it seemed.
Only a fraction, around 216,000 euros, was actually paid to the tax authorities. The rest apparently ended up in Ina Z.'s pockets, and to this day, most of the money has vanished without a trace.
When it becomes clear that she's under investigation, Ina Z. resorts to drastic measures: she has her sister declare her dead. She'd supposedly died in a traffic accident in Rostock - a forged death certificate was meant to prove it. The court in Palma de Mallorca initially believed the story.
The poodle turns informant
But the owners of the defrauded solar company have doubts about the sudden death. They hire a detective agency, and their private investigators soon stumble upon a crucial clue: the supposedly deceased Ina Z.'s social media accounts are still active!
A selfie ultimately proves the 51-year-old's undoing: a photo showing Ina Z. posing with her distinctive Standard Poodle. The surroundings in the picture can clearly be traced to a location on Mallorca and since giant poodles are a rarity on the island, investigators have a hot lead.
Arrest at luxury complex
The detectives then stake out the area around Santa Ponça. There, they spot a man who regularly walks exactly such a poodle. They follow him and he leads them straight to a villa in a luxury residence - to Ina Z.!
When the police ring Ina Z.'s doorbell, her fake world collapses instantly. During the house search, officers find forged documents, including a Kenyan passport with Ina Z.'s photo, but under a false name. The fraudster finally reveals her identity and is arrested.
On Monday, Ina Z. appeared before the regional court in Palma. There, she confessed everything and had a real trump card up her sleeve: she had deposited 1.55 million euros in compensation. This convinced the judge to accept a deal. The verdict: two years and seven months suspended.
Ina Z.'s sister, who had staged her death, also got away with a suspended sentence: three months.
