Issuance and renewal of Italian passports: New scam uncovered allowing queue-jumping

Oct 18, 2023

Five people from an agency based in Milan were investigated for booking fake appointments for the issuance and renewal of Italian passports. Among those booked for passport renewals were fictional names such as Lionel Messi and Donald Duck, as well as the well-known Italian singer Ornella Vanoni.


The agency had the task of hoarding free slots, occupying them – even without having an actual customer – by entering imaginary information. Once the available day was blocked, the agency would resell the appointment, and at the time of payment one employee would delete the slot with the imaginary name and another would immediately rush to book it with the correct data of the paying customer.


The scalping mechanism setup, however simple, earned a lot of money.


We suggest to beware of these kinds of “easy and fast options”. However, it is possible to receive an appointment at short notice for matters of urgency, you will need to present a valid reason (work, plane ticket, or other) justifying the urgency and the priority requested.
It is advisable to contact the Passport Office of your Questura of residence for further information.

This article was written by Giuditta De Ricco and Greis Muca

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