Poland arrests linked to fraudulent vehicle registration scheme

Polish authorities have arrested five individuals as part of an investigation into a fraudulent vehicle registration scheme involving thousands of vehicles, many of which circulate in Italy. Two Polish technicians were recently arrested for allegedly certifying hundreds of fake inspections without actually examining the vehicles. One technician is accused of recording 307 successful inspections, while the other allegedly certified 373.

The investigation targets a system often referred to locally as the ‘Naples-Polish scam.’ Under this scheme, vehicle owners formally sell their cars or scooters to Polish companies, which then register them in Poland and lease them back to the original owners. This allows users to avoid high Italian costs for road tax and insurance, replacing them with much lower annual fees.

While the leasing structure is formally legal, investigators have uncovered significant illegalities, including the falsification of mandatory periodic inspections. Authorities are intensifying controls on vehicles registered in Poland that are used permanently abroad to combat these illicit practices.