Pezzotto, maxi seizure of 650,000 euros: 2,769 customers identified in 43 Italian provinces

The financial police of the Provincial Command of Crotone dismantled three illegal IPTV signal transmission centers, commonly known as "pezzotto". The operation, conducted with the support of the special technological and editorial units from Rome, concluded with the denunciation of four Italian citizens and the seizure of assets worth approximately 650,000 euros. This intervention falls within the scope of investigative activities coordinated by the local Public Prosecutor's Office in anticipation of the 2026 World Cup.

The investigation stemmed from checks by the Special Currency Police Unit in Rome, which reported unusual financial flows. Bank verifications revealed that direct payments to the managers of the illegal platform included explicit reasons with the label "IBO PLAYER PRO", a software widely used to stream unauthorized video services on smart TVs, phones, and computers.

Through this trail, the military reconstructed a complex pirated supply chain structured at multiple levels: the main suppliers (head providers) at the top of the server infrastructure, intermediate resellers (resellers) scattered across the country, and finally, the end consumers.

Sanctions for Users and the Position of Sky

The checks conducted by the Guardia di Finanza allowed investigators to track down 2,769 customers residing in 43 different Italian provinces. The illicit profits accumulated by the organization, estimated at 650,000 euros, were then laundered through reinvestment in the legal economy and the purchase of cryptocurrencies to conceal their origin. End users purchased packages priced between 10 and 40 euros per month, even benefiting from dedicated technical support to solve potential viewing problems of paid channels such as Sky, Dazn, NowTv, Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify.

The position of the identified clients is now under examination by the authorities. In the coming days, administrative sanctions will be imposed on all 2,769 users of the illegal service, with fines ranging from a minimum of 154 euros to a maximum of 5,000 euros in case of recidivism. The four managers of the centers will instead face charges of copyright infringement and self-laundering.

Andrea Duilio, CEO of Sky Italia, commented on the matter, expressing profound gratitude to the Prosecutor's Office and the Financial Police of Crotone for an operation that "confirms the constant commitment of law enforcement to protect those who choose legality" and demonstrates the effectiveness in tracing individual users. The CEO emphasized the importance of combating "the sense of impunity that still accompanies this phenomenon," reminding that those who use these illegal channels risk not only hefty fines but also expose themselves to "fraud, personal data theft, and cyber threats".

The investigation is currently in the preliminary investigation phase, awaiting subsequent procedural checks. Emergency preventive seizures on the bank accounts and properties of the four suspects have been executed for the full amount of the quantifiable illicit proceeds. Notifications of monetary sanctions for the customers will begin to be delivered in the coming weeks across all 43 involved provinces.