For six months, a 38-year-old man, residing in the greater Lisbon area, pretended to be an employee of the Madeira Electricity Company (EEM) and called several client companies to collect alleged debts. Under threat of having their power supply cut off, he managed to get them to transfer €24,181 to him. He was apprehended by the Judicial Police on July 10th, placed in pre-trial detention, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) at the Madeira District Court announced the indictment yesterday.
The defendant will face trial in Funchal for 23 counts of aggravated fraud, as he made deception his way of life. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the events occurred between December 2, 2024, and June 5, 2025. From the greater Lisbon area, where he resided, the defendant, posing as an employee of the Madeira Electricity Company, called several Madeiran companies, claiming that they had outstanding energy supply debts amounting to several hundred euros. In the same phone call, after stating that the supply would be cut off if the debt was not paid immediately, the defendant provided payment references, which he had requested from electronic payment platforms and which had him as the recipient.
The victims, fearing that their business activity would be interrupted due to the power outage, complied with the defendant’s instructions, ultimately losing the amounts they had improperly paid.
In the indictment, the Public Prosecutor’s Office requests the forfeiture of the value obtained from the commission of the crimes, amounting to 24,181 euros.