Marrying a stranger or ending up in court: impersonations are on the rise

BarcelonaIt's been a month and a half since The ARA told the story of a man from Osona He faces a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a scam in which he claims to be the victim: during a car sale, he sent a photo of his ID to the buyer, who disappeared shortly afterward. A few months later, he discovered he was being investigated for a scam in A Coruña that had been committed using his ID. The case is ongoing. Cases like these, which demonstrate the risks of giving your identity document to certain people, are becoming increasingly common in the courts. Just this Monday, a man from Ibiza testified at the Barcelona City of Justice for almost identical events.

The complaint, which this newspaper has accessed, comes from a woman in Barcelona. She recounts that on August 27th, she bought a Nintendo Switch through the Wallapop website. Specifically, she made two transfers and paid 700 euros. But the seller disappeared, and the console never arrived. The police had a lead: the seller had sent the complainant an ID and a photo of himself before completing the transaction. He did all this to gain her trust. Whose photo and ID were those? The man who testified in court this Monday.

According to sources consulted by ARA, the man stated that he, too, was a victim of the scam. He explained that a few months earlier he had bought a scooter through Wallapop. The seller asked him to send a picture of his ID and, to fully verify his identity, a selfie as well. His ID card in hand. The man claims he paid 500 euros, but the scooter never arrived. The courts will decide whether this version of events, offered by the man now under investigation for fraud, is true and if there is any supporting evidence. In any case, these two instances highlight a growing trend: in a country where cyber scams are on the rise, identity theft is also increasing every year.

Exponential Increase

The open data from the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) demonstrates this: in 2018, 540 cases of identity theft were reported, and by 2024, that number had risen to 2,593. In other words, in six years, this figure has practically increased fivefold. Authorities warn that this increase should serve as a warning to the public: the National Identity Document (DNI) is a private document that cannot be shared indiscriminately. Only other identity documents should be shared. Scammers stole 57,000 euros from several people in 2023They simply obtained a stolen ID, disguised themselves to resemble the owner, went to the bank, and asked to withdraw money. Even losing your ID can lead to you being married without realizing it.

In a conversation with ARA, a young woman who prefers to remain anonymous explains that three years ago her purse was stolen in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona. She had it between her legs while talking to a friend and didn't realize someone had taken it. In the time it took her to process the situation and file a police report, several charges had already been made to her card: a rental car and a dinner. After filing the report, the victim thought it was all over. Months passed, and when she needed to complete a procedure at a library, she checked her residency registration, and the surprise was enormous. "It showed that I lived in an apartment in Sant Martí," she says. She went to the district office and was told that the change of address had been done in person, that someone with her ID card, proving they had the authority to do so, had processed the procedure. But they did it with an expired and reported ID card. "It's administrative negligence," the young woman complains.

But it doesn't end there. A few months later, she received a call from the Mossos d'Esquadra police station in Sant Martí because her ID card was linked to some criminal activity. They ended the conversation by asking if she had a partner. She replied no, but the question lingered in her mind. Finally, she went to the police station and they explained that, coinciding with the change of address, she was also registered as a domestic partner with a 55-year-old man. They both lived in Sant Martí. But she didn't know this man at all. "All of this was validated by a notary, who agreed that someone could act on my behalf," the young woman laments again. After months of paperwork, it wasn't until this fall that she managed to reverse course and sever ties with her civil partner. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) are still investigating who is behind the fraud. She has participated in several police lineups and has never recognized anyone.