Durban man arrested in Spanish web con

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Bradley Rogers was arrested in Spain this week

A former South African man has found himself on the wrong side of the law in Spain, where he has been arrested in connection with a multimillion-pound international scam.

The former Queensburgh Boys’ High pupil,

Bradley Rogers, 28, now faces extradition to the UK, along with two others, on a European arrest warrant issued in relation to a fraud probe.

Rogers has been living on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain for the past four years.

British investigators have linked him to notorious UK crook Toni Muldoon, who is suspected of masterminding an alleged £6 million (R79m) fraud that targeted 15 000 British victims.

Muldoon, 65, and a 59-year-old Briton Geraldine French are being held in custody in Madrid with Rogers.

The alleged offences, involving debt elimination and escort agency companies, took place between July 2007 and November 2010.

Muldoon is alleged to be involved in a scam involving escort agency websites, including Adorabelles, European Escorts, Date Angels, Diamond Companions and Delightful Stars, which offer new recruits the chance to make large amounts of money.

It is alleged that the escorts are promised a client and asked for a registration fee, but never hear from the agency again.

A source close to the British investigation described Rogers as Muldoon’s right-hand man.

Victims of the alleged scam were targeted from boiler-room telesales outfits based in Fuengirola and Alhaurin El Grande on the Costa del Sol, and paid about £300 in advance fees for services.

Rogers, who holds a British passport, began working for a cruise boat, Caribbean Lady, owned by Muldoon in 2010.

Rogers also runs boat charters with his 33-year-old British partner, Ruth Finney. She admitted that Rogers knew co-suspect French, but refused to comment further.

The South African owner of the Boma Bar, in Alhaurin el Grande, said Rogers was “a lovely guy, very sweet” who “comes into the bar now and then and he’s always very polite. I think I met his parents once or twice, when they were here on holiday”, the owner added.

In May last year Muldoon was given a two-year suspended sentence in Spain after pleading guilty to a £9m telesales scam dating from 2001 to 2006.

Weekend Argus