Irish tourists charged with fraud for ‘using Monopoly money to pay for drinks’ The holidaymakers, both aged 18, were in the tourist hotspot of Punta Ballena, Magaluf

Two Irish tourists have been arrested in Spain after allegedly attempting to pay for drinks on a night out with Monopoly money.

The holidaymakers, both aged 18, were spending their evening in a popular bar in Punta Ballena, in Magaluf on the Spanish island of Majorca.

According to Spanish newspaper Ultima Hora, the youngsters were inebriated on Tuesday night when they found the fake money on the floor of the bar.

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Monopoly money on the floor

The notes were reportedly part of a promotion from the pub and had an English inscription on them, which made it clear the notes were not legal currency.

According to reports, the two tourists then tried to pay for their drinks with the pretend money.

It is understood a waitress alerted the local authorities when the teenagers tried to pay their bill with the Monopoly cash.

Local police were called to deal with the incident and are said to have found a large number of bank notes on the teen holidaymakers.

The teenagers, who have not been named, were charged with a non-serious fraud by a judge on Thursday and were released on bail.

It is not known if they remain in the country.

Holiday fraud risks

Fraudsters often target popular holiday destinations like Majorca at times of year when demand is high and availability limited when they know people will be looking for good deals.

Earlier this year, Barclays warned travellers about the risk of holiday villa scams, which could lose holidaymakers hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.

Barclays’ figures come from customers who have reported holiday villa scams directly to the bank.

Over a third (37 per cent) of these reported scams result in losses of between £1,000 and £5,000.

Vulnerable tourists in Magaluf

Magaluf are also a hot spot for robberies with thiefs targeting vulnerable holidaymakers.

According to the Sun, gangs in the party towm target up to 100 tourists per night with so-called “bear hug” robberies.

The fraudsters work in pairs, where one approaches a holidaymaker and gets them in a vice-like grip from behind while his accomplice steals possessions, including jewellery, mobile phones, wallets and watches.

The robberies happen late in the night or in the early hours of the morning with intoxicated tourists being the main targets.