Over the winter, apartment blocks and complexes in Mallorca's tourist resorts are the targets of organised gangs who occupy apartments and then let them out. This letting is with illegal contracts. 'Tenants' are no more than squatters, themselves victims of a scam.
This illegal activity has been noted in Calvia resorts, in Can Picafort and in Playa de Palma, the common element being that these are places which are quiet in winter. Many properties are empty because it's winter.
Owners and property managers are well aware of the potential risk that the winter months pose in tourist areas, especially where there are few people around. In some instances, it would seem that gangs can obtain information regarding, for instance, an owner who is not planning on coming to Mallorca over the winter for whatever reason.
An increasing number of apartments now have security systems, but there are plenty which do not. Owners tend to rely on neighbours to keep a lookout. But sometimes it can be too late.
Last winter there were cases of tourist accommodation being occupied, such as one block at the vast Bellevue complex in Puerto Alcudia. There was a gang operating there, but the outcome will probably make gangs think twice about organising squats in such accommodation. Unlike private properties, the eviction of squatters was very effective. Tourism law was cited, i.e. the requirement to pay for accommodation before entering it. This was a neat legal solution, but not one available to private owners.