Civil Guard and Madrid Municipal Police announced the arrest of 18 individuals alleged to be part of a criminal network that falsified clients’ identity documents in order to sit practical driving tests for about 2,000 euros. The operation sheds light on a coordinated scheme that manipulated both paperwork and testing procedures to enable easier access to driving licenses.
Arrests also took place in Madrid and the provinces of A Coruña, Seville, Pontevedra, and Murcia, where authorities say the impersonators explicitly traveled to the examination venues to conduct their fraud. The investigation began with a series of searches conducted at a Madrid building and a driving school, and at a hotel business in Ferrol (A Coruña). During these searches, investigators discovered forged identity documents and a large quantity of computer equipment used in the scheme, including devices that helped produce counterfeit documents and extraneous records. The operation is being closely followed, and further actions will aim to identify all individuals who benefited from the fraud and revoke the affected licenses. [Source: authorities]
The operation, described by the authorities as a coordinated effort, remains ongoing. After analyzing the seized material, the investigators will work to locate customers who obtained driver’s licenses through this fraud and cancel those licenses where appropriate. [Source: authorities]
According to the statement, one of the 18 apprehended individuals actually sat the practical driving test after illegally passing the theoretical portion, highlighting how the fraud manipulated multiple stages of the licensing process. [Source: authorities]
1,500 and 2,000 euros
The gang’s members allegedly forged clients’ identity documents in return for payments ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 euros. They presented themselves for the theoretical exam in order to obtain a Class B driver’s license. Investigators indicate that some customers who lacked the necessary knowledge contacted the impersonators through social networks or trusted contacts to arrange the fraudulent service. [Source: authorities]
The first step of the scam involved payments between 400 and 500 euros to falsify the entire identity document or replace the bearer’s photograph with one of the impersonated individuals bearing biometric characteristics similar to the customer. This preliminary action laid the groundwork for subsequent testing and certification fraud. [Source: authorities]
Exams in 6 minutes
With counterfeit identity papers in hand, the impersonators proceeded to take the theoretical exams under cover of the scheme. They possessed extensive knowledge and were able to complete the theoretical portion in as little as six minutes. Some members did not take the exam more than once a week, while others attempted the test two or three times during the same window of activity. After receiving confirmation of the results, customers paid the remaining portion of the agreed fee, which totaled between 1,500 and 2,000 euros. [Source: authorities]
The network also extended its services to recovery tests when a driver lost points on their license. In collaboration with a driving school, and in exchange for payment, drivers were issued completion certificates for awareness and retraining courses without attending the actual sessions. The operation was executed by the Central Investigation and Analysis Group of the Traffic Department of the Civil Guard, alongside agents from the Municipal Police Station and the Judicial Traffic Police in Madrid’s Puente de Vallecas district. [Source: authorities]