Cybercrime and document fraud trends reported in Italy

Authorities in Italy are highlighting two distinct types of fraudulent activities affecting citizens and businesses.

In the Crema region, small businesses and professional studios are being targeted by the ‘man in the mail’ scam. Cybercriminals monitor email communications for weeks to identify payment exchanges between suppliers and clients. They then intercept these communications to replace legitimate banking coordinates with fraudulent IBANs on real invoices. By the time the error is discovered, funds have typically been transferred to foreign accounts and laundered.

Separately, law enforcement in Cesenatico and other parts of Italy have detected instances of tampered electronic identity cards. In these cases, the microchip has been physically removed from the plastic document via engraving. While some individuals may remove the chip due to unfounded fears of GPS tracking, investigators are looking into whether the practice is intended to obstruct electronic verification or facilitate document fraud. Possession of a tampered identity card can lead to criminal seizure of the document and legal charges for material falsification.