Orla D., a 65-year-old former investment banker, moved to the Algarve in Portugal after her retirement and hoped for a quiet life in her dream villa. The pensioner contributed 600,000 pounds (about 704,000 euros) for her new home and she lived there happily for several years.

But what started as a lifelong dream quickly turned into a nightmare when a “dangerous” neighbor came in and disturbed their peace.

Pensioner with a villa in Portugal: “Suddenly there were excavators on my property”

The neighbor, a real estate agent, seized her property and forced her from her own home, Orla told the Daily Mail. “After visiting my family in Ireland, I returned and found bulldozers on my property. The boundary between our properties had been moved and a pumping station for a hot tub had been built nearby,” the Daily Mail quoted Orla as saying.

Her neighbor threatened her and even tried to push her out of the street. However, her worst incident was the gruesome murder of her beloved rescued dog.

Many retirees have problems with property boundaries.

A fraud investigator helping Orla with her case explains that her case is an extreme example of the “land grab” that is widespread in the region. He and others refer to the phenomenon as “Algrab,” referring to the many cases of retirees facing property line issues and other property issues after moving to the region.

Because of the traumatic experiences, Orla moves between different homes in Portugal and Spain for safety reasons. The pensioner lives in constant fear.