Argentine Serial Fraudster Arrested in Spain for Buying Travel Packages with Stolen Card Details and Reselling Them

Facundo Agustín “El Sapo” Ciarlo, an Argentine fraudster with a history of convictions, was arrested in Málaga after allegedly buying travel packages with other people’s card details and reselling them through a tourism agency.

The 52-year-old had cultivated a luxurious public image. He lived in a mansion, owned several cars and traveled to destinations including China and the United Arab Emirates. On social media, he posted photographs with celebrities and shared images from his trip to Russia for the World Cup.

Ciarlo received his first conviction in 2016 from a court in Chubut for criminal association and fraud. In one case, a ship captain returned to shore and discovered that tickets worth 100,000 pesos had been purchased using his credit card number. Prosecutors in Puerto Madryn estimated that the fraud at the time totaled 10 million pesos.

Investigators said Ciarlo obtained card details at service stations and commercial premises, then identified the cardholders and used the information to make purchases. In 2018, while on parole, he traveled to Russia for the World Cup despite a court order barring him from leaving Argentina. He was detained there but later released.

On May 27 this year, Buenos Aires city police sought him in connection with a new fraud case at the request of the specialized criminal investigations prosecutor’s office and a national court. Detectives from the Fugitive and Wanted Persons Division found his Facebook profile and obtained his IP address through the platform. They determined that he had repeatedly logged in from Málaga, where he had fled as new fraud cases advanced. Argentine authorities requested his arrest through Interpol, and Málaga police intercepted him while he was driving a Jeep Renegade. He remains in local police custody as extradition proceedings begin.