A 50-year-old man was recently arrested in Spain after he allegedly faked over a dozen heart attacks at various restaurants to avoid paying the bill, according to multiple news reports from the country.
The Lithuanian man, who has not been publicly identified, reportedly tried the scam at least 20 times over the past year at different restaurants near the Spanish city of Alicante, located in the southeastern part of the country, according to the Spanish newspaper El País and Spain's EFE news agency.
His scheme hit a dead end last month after he ordered a seafood paella and two whiskeys at a restaurant and attempted to dine-and-dash on the bill, which cost around $37 in U.S. dollars, said EFE.
When he was stopped by staff, he claimed he was going to his hotel to get money. EFE said the restaurant refused to let him leave without paying, so he threw himself to the ground and pretended to have a heart attack.
After staff made sure he wasn’t having a real heart attack, Alicante National Police responded and recognized the man from previous arrests involving his scams, according to Insider.
News outlets in Spain said the man’s photo had been shared among many area restaurants to warn them about the alleged con artist.
It’s unclear what charges he faces.
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