The town of Málaga has been the scene of an operation by the Civil Guard that has dismantled an international organisation dedicated to identity impersonation in order to generate profits from online betting. The investigation has culminated in the arrest of 12 people, while 11 individuals are being investigated and 39 more have been identified, currently outside the national territory.
Detained and implicated
The actions of this criminal group have resulted in the filing of 36 complaints for crimes of usurpation of civil status, fraud, money laundering, document forgery, and membership in a criminal organisation. The 36 victims identified have received claims amounting to a total of 121,355 euros corresponding to false tax returns.
Background of the operation
The operation began following a complaint in Tudela de Duero (Valladolid) in March 2024, although the fraud became evident during the 2025 income tax campaign. During this period, complaints were filed related to alleged economic benefits in the tax drafts of the victims. These individuals had income from online betting in their declarations that they had never made.
Investigators have revealed that the organisation used social engineering techniques, as well as artificial intelligence, to lure victims and obtain their personal data. Through false job offers, holiday rentals, or hotel bookings, they managed to get people to provide copies of their documentation.
After obtaining this information, they created profiles on online gambling portals in the names of the victims, appropriating the winnings and charging the tax implications to the legitimate holders of the data.
Additionally, a complex network of bank accounts and cards was identified, allowing the laundering of money obtained illegally through these activities. Due to the magnitude of the case and the number of affected individuals in the national territory, a new action protocol known as PACs (Protocol for Action for Impersonated Taxpayers) has been established, available at [this link](https://pacs.ordenacionjuego.es/info/pacs).
For further details, you can contact the communication office of the Civil Guard in Valladolid at the phone number 696 90 90 25.
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