Identity theft in Mallorca: Mother fights false entries in the civil registry

ID card lost, life in turmoil: How a loss turned into an identity crisis

It begins innocently: a misplaced ID card, the rush two days before a trip, a new appointment with the national police. For Nerea – 30 years old, born on Mallorca, mother of three – this ended in summer 2024 in a nightmare of forms, contradictory entries, and fake contracts.

What feels like a bad crime novel actually happened, according to Nerea: Someone from her close circle allegedly took the DNI and apparently handed it to third parties. As a result, contracts with mobile phone providers, bills she had never paid, and above all: changes in the civil registry.

From the resident registration office to the notary – endless bureaucratic procedures

In January 2025, she found out that she had apparently been registered in Barcelona since August 16, 2024. “I went to the town hall in Palma, and they told me I had been deregistered there,” she recalls. For a woman about to give birth, that is more than annoying: citizenship, social and family-related rights depend on the official address.

When she tried to sort things out, more shocking news followed: in Tarragona, civil partnerships had been registered in her name — twice. At the notary there were signatures she had not made. The suspicion: the false entries were intended to benefit foreign partners.

“It feels like someone is slowly pulling at my very existence,” says Nerea. She was deregistered several times without her involvement, each time a strenuous effort to be re-registered in Palma. Just before the birth of her youngest child, the return to the register was achieved — but the two fraudulent partnerships still remain in the paperwork.

Everyday consequences: No family status, no relief

The consequences are not only administrative: because her registration priority is questioned, she currently cannot apply for the status of a family with many children. Social benefits and bureaucratic relief remain blocked. In addition, a court process is underway to delete the false entries.

Practical tips from those affected locally: keep copies of important documents in several secure places, report the loss immediately, file a police report, and gather as many pieces of evidence as possible — from invoices to registration confirmations. All of this costs time and nerves that young families often do not have in abundance.

Nerea's story is a warning: identity protection is not a luxury but everyday protection. Authorities, neighbors, circle of friends — all can suddenly be involved. And until the court decides, her biggest concern remains: how to defend her life and her rights against invisible perpetrators.