Foreign national arrested for using a compatriot's documents while collecting aid
He was simultaneously receiving multiple social benefits, thereby obtaining an illicit economic gain derived from identity theft.
The National Police of the Local Police Station in Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) has arrested a foreign man for using a compatriot’s documents to work on the island while claiming public aid under his own identity.
The Superior Police Headquarters of the Canary Islands reported that, thanks to the so‑called “Operation Marionette,” authorities were able to uncover a case of civil‑status usurpation, labour fraud, and improper receipt of social benefits.
The investigation, carried out in November, culminated in the detention of the suspect, who is alleged to have worked for several months using another person’s documentation while simultaneously receiving unemployment and paternity benefits under his true identity.
The operation began thanks to the routine collaboration between the Local Immigration and Border Brigade and social‑ and business‑sector agents on the island, within a preventive framework aimed at detecting irregularities in the labour market.
Initial inquiries revealed that the suspect had supplied a temporary‑employment agency with a compatriot’s documents to formalise a work contract, without the company initially detecting the irregularity.
The True Identity Was Detected Months Later
After several months, the company’s managers noticed that the individual showing up for the job did not match the identity on the submitted documents. They reported the matter to the National Police and terminated the employment relationship.
With the employer cleared of any responsibility, police set up a coordinated operation with the company. This allowed them to identify the alleged perpetrator; once his real identity was confirmed, it was found that he was simultaneously receiving multiple social benefits, thus obtaining an illegal economic advantage through identity theft.
The investigative procedures proved the existence of two distinct identities and a direct loss to the Social Security system and the Public Treasury, due to the improper combination of salary and public aid.
Identification of a Second Man
On 25 November, officers detained the primary suspect and continued the investigation, which led to the identification of a second man who acted as a necessary collaborator by allegedly providing his documentation in exchange for monetary compensation.
It was also established that the wages from the illicit employment were deposited into a bank account in the collaborator’s name, although the detained individual was the one who actually used the associated card.
To locate the legitimate holder of the fraudulently used documents, the Provincial Police Station of Palma de Mallorca was asked to assist. Their involvement enabled the person’s location and the taking of a statement as a non‑detained suspect, contributing to a full clarification of the facts.
Finally, after the investigation concluded, the National Police forwarded a report to the General Treasury of the Social Security system, requesting that the appropriate measures be taken within its jurisdiction.