The unnamed man would move from one restaurant to another to scam them, and the majority of his victims were reportedly in Spain’s Costa Blanca region.
Reports say after eating and drinking, when it is time to pay the bills, he would hold his chest and fall on the ground pretending to faint as a result of a heart attack. He succeeded in getting away with bills until a restaurant owner recently read between the lines and also found photos of him online, with other restaurant owners warning against his tricks.
The Lithuanian man was at El Buen Comer, a restaurant in Alicante, and bought some seafood paella and a few shots of whisky. After the staff of the restaurant brought him the bill for 34.85 euros ($37), he just got up and attempted to leave without paying first.
The waiter then accosted him and he said he was going to his hotel to bring the money, an excuse that was not convincing to the staff. He then started feigning the heart attack again, holding his chest firmly and fainting on the ground dramatically.
“It was very theatrical, he pretended to faint and slumped himself down on the floor. We have sent his photo around to all the restaurants to try and stop him from striking again,” the manager of El Buen Comer is quoted to have said.
When police officers were called to the restaurant, the scammer requested medical assistance. But unfortunately for him, the officers recognized him. He had been reportedly seen in Alicante in November of 2022 carrying out the same trick. He had spent a few days behind bars on some occasions when he was caught.
This time around, all the swindled restaurants are reportedly planning to take a class legal action against the man, which could land him in jail for two years.