A 44-year-old man from St Paul's Bay has been taken to court after allegedly defrauding a number of foreigners by taking rental deposits for properties which were not actually under his control, the police said.
Investigations were launched after several people complained that people had paid deposits online only to later find out that the property had already been rented out to other people by the landlords.
The deposits were more than €5,000.
The accused pleaded not guilty and has been remanded in custody.
Inspectors Elton Taliana and Bernardette Valletta prosecuted.