Guardia Civil dismantles identity fraud network targeting online betting
Twelve arrested and eleven under investigation following an operation that dismantled an organisation that usurped identities to create gaming profiles and charged taxes to Spanish victims. The fraud totalled 121,355 euros.
International identity fraud network dismantled in online betting scheme
The Guardia Civil dismantled an international network that usurped identities to create profiles on online gaming platforms, according to reporting by El Confidencial. The operation concluded with 12 arrests, eleven under investigation and 39 individuals identified abroad. Those implicated are attributed with 36 offences of usurpation of civil status, fraud, money laundering, document falsification and membership of a criminal organisation.
The investigation began in March 2024 following a complaint filed in Tudela de Duero, Valladolid. The scope of the fraud became evident during the 2025 Tax Campaign, when 36 complaints with the same pattern were filed within the Guardia Civil's jurisdiction. Victims detected in the drafts of their tax returns supposed betting winnings from online gaming that they had never conducted. The total amount claimed reached 121,355 euros.
The organisation employed techniques involving social engineering and artificial intelligence. The cybercriminals devised personalised narratives with pretexts such as false job offers, rentals of non-existent holiday homes or fraudulent hotel reservations to obtain copies of personal documentation. Using these details, they created profiles on gaming portals without the consent of the identity holders.
The group appropriated the net earnings from the betting whilst the tax burden fell upon the legitimate owners of the identities. Investigations revealed a complex infrastructure of debit and credit cards, in addition to multiple bank accounts used systematically to launder illicit funds derived from gaming.
Given the number of victims across the national territory, the Administration enabled a protocol known as PACs (Protocol of Action for Impersonated Taxpayers) to provide victims with information about the steps to take.
Source: El Confidencial