Fraud, Theft and Forgery in Spain

This page is for people in Spain accused of fraud, theft, shoplifting or forgery. It explains the three groups of offences and how an English-speaking registered lawyer can explain the process.
lawyers in Spain
15
cases in this service
60
clients' rating in Spain
4.95 ★

About Fraud, Theft and Forgery in Spain

Fraud, theft and forgery are three groups of offences that people often meet together: credit card fraud, shoplifting, online scams and false documents. In Spanish law they are called estafa (fraud), hurto or robo (theft) and falsedad documental (forgery). This page is for people who have been arrested, reported or summoned. It is general information, not legal advice. Some older lists and lawyer pages call this service “Fraud, Theft, Forgery etc”.

Fraud (estafa)

Fraud means deceiving someone to obtain money or property, including through cards, online sales or investments. The court examines whether there was deception and what the person knew.

Theft (hurto and robo)

Hurto is taking something without force, as in shoplifting; robo involves force or intimidation. Minor, low-value cases may be treated as a minor offence (delito leve).

Forgery (falsedad documental)

This covers false or altered documents, signatures or official papers, and is often linked to other offences.

How a case runs and what a lawyer explains

A case usually begins with a report (denuncia), a statement to the police and a court investigation. English-speaking registered lawyers can attend statements, explain the charge and stages, review the documents and appear at hearings. Related pages: cancelling a criminal record and victim representation if you were the one who lost money; see also criminal law in Spain.

Questions and answers

How does fraud differ from theft?

Fraud involves deception: the victim hands over the money or property. Theft is taking it without consent.

Is shoplifting always a crime?

Spanish law distinguishes serious cases from minor ones, and minor ones are usually treated as lesser offences.

What happens at the police station?

The person is questioned with a lawyer present and an interpreter where needed, and a report goes to the court.

Can compensation be claimed in the same case?

Yes. The injured party can claim compensation within the criminal case.

Does a conviction affect residence?

It can matter for residence and visa matters; a lawyer can explain this for a specific case.

15 lawyers who provide Fraud, Theft and Forgery in Spain

Sorted by experience in this service. Write to any of them — the reply comes from the lawyer, without obligation.

  • Alvaro, lawyer in Fuengirola

    Alvaro

    Lawyer · Fuengirola, Spain

    • 1,584 cases handled · 12 in this service
    • 14+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English
    • Law, Jaén
    • 4.97(146 reviews)
    Contact Alvaro
  • Albert, lawyer in Barcelona

    Albert

    Lawyer · Barcelona, Spain

    • 294 cases handled · 11 in this service
    • 28+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • Law, University of Barcelona, Glasgow University School of Law
    • 4.95(4 reviews)
    Contact Albert
  • Raffaele, lawyer in Barcelona

    Raffaele

    Lawyer · Barcelona, Spain

    • 1,553 cases handled · 10 in this service
    • 15+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish
    • Spanish Law; Italian Law, Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Università degli Studi di Milano
    • 4.90(38 reviews)
    Contact Raffaele
  • José, lawyer in Alicante City

    José

    Lawyer · Alicante City, Spain

    • 786 cases handled · 7 in this service
    • 22+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • Law, Alicante University
    • 4.99(97 reviews)
    Contact José
  • Federico, lawyer in Madrid

    Federico

    Lawyer · Madrid, Spain

    • 440 cases handled · 6 in this service
    • 25+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, German, French, Spanish
    • Law, Complutense University Madrid (San Pablo)
    • 4.82(14 reviews)
    Contact Federico
  • Rafael, lawyer in Seville

    Rafael

    Lawyer · Seville, Spain

    • 204 cases handled · 4 in this service
    • 31+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • Law, University of Seville
    • 4.81(27 reviews)
    Contact Rafael
  • Inma, lawyer in Valencia

    Inma

    Lawyer · Valencia, Spain

    • 716 cases handled · 2 in this service
    • 18+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • Law, University of Valencia
    • 4.99(56 reviews)
    Contact Inma
  • Francisca, lawyer in Gandia

    Francisca

    Lawyer · Gandia, Spain

    • 469 cases handled · 2 in this service
    • 21+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • University of Valencia
    • 4.83(35 reviews)
    Contact Francisca
  • Domingo, lawyer in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    Domingo

    Lawyer · Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

    • 372 cases handled · 2 in this service
    • 19+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • Law, Salamanca
    • 4.94(28 reviews)
    Contact Domingo
  • Daniel, lawyer in Mallorca

    Daniel

    Lawyer · Mallorca, Spain

    • 137 cases handled · 2 in this service
    • 11+ years in practice
    • Speaks: Spanish, Italian, English, Portuguese, French
    • Law, UIB
    • 5.00(5 reviews)
    Contact Daniel
  • María-José, lawyer in Murcia City

    María-José

    Lawyer · Murcia City, Spain

    • 691 cases handled · 1 in this service
    • 22+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English
    • Law, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera - Campus Elche
    • 4.98(53 reviews)
    Contact María-José
  • Juan, lawyer in Madrid

    Juan

    Lawyer · Madrid, Spain

    • 164 cases handled · 1 in this service
    • 10+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • Degree in Law, Deusto University (Bilbao, Basque Country)
    • 4.86(7 reviews)
    Contact Juan
  • Inma, lawyer in Murcia City

    Inma

    Lawyer · Murcia City, Spain

    • 910 cases handled
    • 11+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • Law
    • 4.95(59 reviews)
    Contact Inma
  • Maria, lawyer in Girona

    Maria

    Lawyer · Girona, Spain

    • 60 cases handled
    • 23+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • Law, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
    • 4.38(8 reviews)
    Contact Maria
  • Ramon, lawyer in Almeria

    Ramon

    Lawyer · Almeria, Spain

    • 13+ years in practice
    • Speaks: English, Spanish
    • Law, Almeria University
    Contact Ramon
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Talk to a lawyer about Fraud, Theft and Forgery

15 registered lawyers provide this service in Spain. Describe your situation in a short chat — what happened, where, and how to reach you. Your enquiry is reviewed and passed to a lawyer who handles exactly this kind of case, with no obligation.

We are not just a place to list a profile: we work with every lawyer individually. Each one is registered with a bar association, and their experience, languages and client reviews are shown openly on their card.

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Enquiries are answered by lawyers of AdvocateAbroad. This site provides legal information, not legal advice.

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What our clients say about our service in Spain

  • I recommend this lawyer, who helped me through a tough situation after I was wrongly accused of fraud. The advice, support and professionalism he offered were outstanding.
    — Elin
    28 Feb 2020
  • The lawyer answered my queries the moment I sent them. She knows the Greek legal system extremely well and was a great help; on my own I could never have reached a conclusion I am completely satisfied with. Her command of English was excellent, close to bilingual though not quite. At all times she was friendly, approachable and professional, and she explained clearly what I had to do. I came to trust her completely.
    — Alan
    19 Oct 2025
  • The lawyer answered my questions and gave me legal advice like a true professional. I had an exceptional, very informative call with him, and the advice was extremely valuable. He explained every answer to my questions perfectly, and I was completely satisfied with the result.
    — D.C.
    30 May 2024
  • I found the professional extremely helpful and informative. The advice set my mind at ease, and I am completely satisfied with the help. I plan to get in touch again next year.
    — William
    14 Apr 2024
  • Brilliant: he advised me and took action immediately, and his communication in perfect English was always helpful, clear and timely.
    — Graham
    05 May 2023
  • The lawyer did an excellent job for me. Legal matters are a mystery to me, yet she saw me safely through a really hard period, which is finally over. I am more thankful than I can say, and I would certainly recommend her. All the best!
    — Andrew
    16 Nov 2022
  • The lawyer was very easy to reach by email and phone, and he updated me whenever something changed or moved forward. I was obviously very worried about the situation, and he reassured me many times and showed great understanding, which made a real difference. I found him approachable, kind and knowledgeable, and he explained everything whenever I had a question, even the ones that were probably very silly. I also think his fee was good value for the level of service he gave. I would not hesitate to recommend him or to use him again, although I sincerely hope I will not need to. He is definitely great at his job.
    — Emily
    19 May 2021
  • The lawyer gave us a good service. Getting information from other professionals on time was tricky for him, and Covid-19 slowed things down, but he kept trying. He also fixed a price and kept to it, although the work proved more involved than first expected, and I thought the fee we paid was fair and good value. We were happy with how he communicated with us as well.
    — Anthony
    10 Jun 2021
  • This was a highly professional and efficient service. Our urgent email got a reply almost immediately. The lawyer was very approachable and helpful in handling the case and translated everything into English for us. The service was excellent value for money, and we are completely satisfied with the outcome.
    — Rhona
    16 Nov 2022
  • Thank you for everything. You came to my aid within two hours and have gone on supporting me through a very complicated case, always available whenever I have a question or need something.
    — A client
    25 Jul 2022
  • The lawyer was professional in every respect, polite and understanding, and made sure you knew all the facts about Spanish law. Thanks to his guidance and advice my case reached a good conclusion, and I was very satisfied with the result. I was surprised how reasonable and economical his fees were given his experience and knowledge. I would have no hesitation recommending him to future clients.
    — Patrick
    17 Jun 2022
  • We recently had to employ a lawyer to deal with a very serious and distressing problem. We called him, and within seconds of speaking to him it was clear he was the lawyer to represent us. His knowledge of our particular problem was in-depth and precise, he listened carefully and gave us really sound and honest advice. His professionalism in handling our case has been impressive to say the least, yet he has also remained sympathetic and has constantly kept us up to date with everything he has been doing at every stage. This has helped to minimise the stress at an extremely stressful time. I would have no hesitation in recommending him; his professionalism and whole attitude towards his clients is second to none.
    — Andy
    24 May 2019