A father-of-two has said he was left in “a state of shock” after police turned up at his parents’ door claiming Spanish authorities had found him dead.
Nathan Blake, 35, had just stepped out of the bath on the evening of August 16 when he received a "surreal" phone call from his mother to say that two officers had arrived at her home to deliver the devastating – and incorrect – news that her son had died.
Despite briefly questioning whether it was an “elaborate hoax,” Nathan Blake rushed to his parents’ home with his passport in hand, determined to prove to police that he was, in fact, alive.
What followed was a “terrifying night of confusion,” during which a call to the British consulate revealed a “bizarre” twist: a man had been living under Mr Blake’s identity for the past three years—and had recently died in Spain.
In 2022, the imposter was arrested in Barcelona and had provided Spanish police with Mr Blake’s name and passport details.
He went on to commit several offences under the stolen identity, it is understood.
While it remains unclear how the man obtained Mr Blake’s personal information, it is believed the identity theft may have occurred during a stag trip to Barcelona just months earlier.
According to Mr Blake, Spanish authorities said the man had been using at least two different aliases. When he died, they discovered identification bearing Nathan Blake’s name on his person—prompting officers to notify the family.
Although the imposter is now deceased, Mr Blake continues to face the repercussions of having his identity stolen.
He has been advised to hire a Spanish lawyer to conduct a criminal record check under his name, to ensure that none of the offences committed by the impersonator are wrongly attributed to him—and to prevent potential issues when travelling in the future.
A Gofundme page has been set up by Mr Blake’s partner, Holly West, 31, to help cover the legal costs necessary to clear her partner’s name.
Reflecting on the moment he received the call from his mother, Mr Blake, a quantity surveyor who lives in Aylesford, Kent, said: "My body went into a state of shock. I was shaken up a bit. It was so surreal and I didn't believe what was going on. It felt like a prank or a hoax.
"I'd just got out of the bath and my mum called me. I thought 'why is my mum calling me at 10pm at night'. She said 'I have the police here' and I said 'what have I done'?
"They'd come round to tell them that I'd died and that Spanish police had informed them that I was dead out there but obviously I wasn't. Ironically, I had just got out of the bath and I was completely fine. It's just so weird.
"I thought 'are they real police or is it an elaborate hoax'? I only live up the road so I got dressed, went in the car and got down there.
"The policewoman came over and she apologised for the situation and said 'we've never had this happen before'.
"I went and sat down with my parents and they were okay. My mum just didn't believe it. My dad was a bit taken back by it.
"The police had quite quickly said I was dead and that they'd been notified by the Spanish police in the same sentence so it was quickly identified that it wasn't me.
"I had messaged [my parents] in the family group chat an hour before that so in the back of their minds they thought 'he can't be dead'."
Mr Blake rang the British consulate the next day. He hopes that Spanish authorities are working to remove the record of him but the family have been advised to seek a Spanish lawyer to check his name for criminal records in a few months.
Nathan said: "I have no idea how he got hold of my details. The story [the British consulate] told me was that he got arrested in Barcelona and gave all my details.
"He must've had something to corroborate that. He'd been tracked for a couple of years and when he died he had two aliases on him and the one they went with was mine. I don't know enough about the situation and what crimes had been committed.
"It's just crazy the fact the bloke was found in Barcelona after I'd been there. The fact he was in Barcelona all added up. It was like I was living a double life.
"I thought 'did something happen when I was out there'? or 'did one of my mates do it as a joke'? It's just bizarre.
"My only concern is if I go abroad and my passport is blocked or I go somewhere else and get arrested. I don't want that to happen.
"I'm innocent in this so it's unfair. I have to stress about all this stuff. I just want to get it resolved."
Travel agent Holly hopes to spread awareness about her partner's 'unbelievable' predicament to help prevent the same thing from happening to anyone else.
Holly said: "It's just a bit bizarre and a bit unbelievable.
"I was thinking he was walking into a potentially dodgy scenario. I thought 'this could be a real easy target and if someone wanted him dead right now this would be the perfect way to do it'.
"I phoned Kent Police and explained my concerns because I just wanted to confirm this was genuine. They said they'd had a call about this earlier, this is a genuine call-out.
"It's outrageous. It's so comical he was in the bath of all places. He was just running around in a towel. I've just got to laugh at it because hopefully it'll get sorted. It's just mental.”
A spokesperson for Kent police said: "On Tuesday 16 September 2025, Spanish authorities alerted Kent Police to the death of a man who they believed to be a British national.
"Officers attended an address in Aylesford at their request to pass the message to the man's next of kin.
"While at the property, patrols established that he was in fact alive, safe and well, and have since updated colleagues in Spain."
Spanish Guardia have also been contacted for comment.
