Italy: Pre-World Cup anti-piracy success
June 12, 2026

By Colin Mann



As part of their efforts to combat digital audiovisual piracy, also developed in anticipation of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, financial officers from the Crotone Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police), with the support of the Special Unit for the Protection of Privacy and Technological Fraud and the Special Unit for Goods and Services – Rome Radio and Publishing Group, have identified three illegal IPTV signal switching centres – so-called ‘Pezzotto’ – all located in the Pythagorean city and managed by four Italian natives. These centres illegally distributed pirate subscriptions to thousands of customers, allowing them to access paid audiovisual content offered by the most popular digital and satellite platforms (Sky, DAZN, NOW TV, Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify).

The identification of the illicit distribution centres was achieved thanks to the meticulous investigation of several suspicious transaction reports, transmitted by the Special Currency Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza in Rome, which launched a vast financial investigation that uncovered the existence of the massive and complex fraud scheme perpetrated in the audiovisual piracy sector, specifically regarding the illegal distribution of copyrighted content.


In the context of the investigation conducted, the investigative team’s attention was drawn to the explicit reasons for the various bank transfers under scrutiny, bearing the words ‘IBO PLAYER PRO’, software compatible with the reproduction of illicit streaming flows, installable on various playback devices such as smartphones, smart TVs, computers, etc.

Based on the described IT architecture, the various levels of the criminal system have been identified: at the top of the illicit chain, the main suppliers known as ‘head providers’, who manage the source server architecture; and at the middle, the intermediate entities known as ‘resellers’, spread throughout the country, who resell the subscriptions to an indiscriminate group of end users, placed at the end of the distribution chain, who use the illegal service.

The synergistic action developed by the various departments of the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police)—members of the various specialised and territorial components—made it possible to extend the investigations nationwide, accurately reconstructing the entire supply chain that fuelled the disrupted illicit system.

The investigative activity crystallised the illicit distribution of digital content to at least 2,769 identified clients residing in 43 provinces across the country. The value of the illicitly accumulated proceeds was estimated at approximately €650,000. As established by the detailed banking investigations, these proceeds were reinvested in the legal economy and in the purchase of virtual currency, thus concealing their illicit origin.

The cost of the pirate subscriptions ranged from €10 to €40 depending on the selected ‘packages’, which also included a ‘customer support service’ in case of viewing difficulties, similar to the legal platforms providing digital services.

The 2,769 end users will be notified in the coming days of the prescribed administrative fines, ranging from €154 to €5,000, applicable for the most serious forms of repeat offenders.

At the conclusion of their investigation, the financial police of the Economic and Financial Police Unit, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor of Crotone, Dr Domenico Guarascio, charged the four individuals with serious copyright and intellectual property violations and self-laundering. They seized assets – pursuant to a specific emergency seizure order – with a total value of approximately €650,000.