Video | ‘Textbook’ scams targeting the elderly: 17 people arrested in Naples

In the sights of the Carabinieri a criminal association headed by a family, 80 scams and extortions in Rome, Naples, Latina and Viterbo

ROME – The “manual of the perfect telephonist-fraudster” to pretend to be a postal employee, insurer, lawyer or policeman and convince numerous elderly people to give them money or jewels. Also equipped with the “instruction book” were 17 people who ended up in prison or under house arrest for fraud and extortion targeting elderly residents between Lazio and Campania, but not only. From the first light of dawn, the Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Rome, in the province of Naples, supported by the territorially competent Carabinieri commands, executed an order ordering precautionary measures, issued by the investigating judge of the Court of Rome, against 17 people (7 in prison and 10 under house arrest), of which 13 are seriously suspected of belonging to acriminal syndicate dedicated to fraud and extortion against the elderlyand the other 4 of having played a role in carrying out the attacks.
As a confirmation, during the course of the investigation, the Carabinieri also carried out 10 arrests, in flagrante delicto, for scams carried out in Rome in damage to the elderly, with simultaneous recovery and restitution of the stolen goods.

FORCEED “CRIMINAL ASSOCIATION HEADED BY A FAMILY“

The investigations by the Carabinieri of the operational unit of the Compagnia di Roma Trionfale, under the direction of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rome, serious crimes against property and narcotics group, have made it possible to collect serious circumstantial elements regarding the existence of a criminal association based in Naples and headed by members of a specific family, dedicated to the commission of an indeterminate series of crimes (mostly scams and sometimes extortion)< strong> to the detriment of elderly people living in Rome and Lazio, but also in other Italian regions, collecting serious indications of guilt against the suspects in relation to80 episodes committed in the provinces of Rome, Naples, Latina and Viterbo, in the period between 13 September 2022 and 20 March 2023.

“VICTIMS CHOSEN AT RANDOM THROUGH SEARCHES DONE ON THE INTERNET OR FROM THE WHITE PAGES”

Pretending to be a postal worker, insurer, lawyer or policeman, the “telephone operator” said that a family member had to pay off the debt to collect a package or that he had caused a road accident, that the insurance had expired and that, to “settle” things, it was necessary to hand over money or jewels. Subsequently, an accomplice came to collect them from the home of the victims, who only hours later, speaking with the son or nephew in question, discovered the scam.
The investigations by the Carabinieri of the Operational Unit of the Compagnia di Roma Trionfale made it possible to collect circumstantial elements regarding the role of all the suspects who in various groups composed of two people, left every day from Naples in rented cars. The victims were chosen randomly through searches done on the internet or on white pages, contacted by ‘telephone operators’ and then reached by ‘couriers’.

ALSO SEARCHED AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR THE TELEPHONE OPERATOR

During the searches, which are still ongoing, the Carabinieri also found an instruction manual with a detailed description of the things the telephone operator had to say to the victims to carry out the scams as well as cash, hundreds of phone cards, dozens of cell phones and a large quantity of jewellery. It should be noted that the proceeding is in the preliminary investigation phase.

FUNERAL COUNCILOR: ‘I’M ELDERLY BUT I DON’T FALL FOR IT’ PUBLISHED, ANTI-SCAM HANDBOOK

“Unfortunately, scams against the elderly do not stop. Even today the news tells us of serious crimes committed to the detriment of the most vulnerable people, with cumbersome scams and even with the help of a real ‘instruction manual’ complete with scripts studied by criminal minds to better convince the victims. I thank the police for having managed to make dozens of arrests, following 80 incidents of scams, especially in Rome, to the detriment of the elderly”. This was written in a note by the councilor for Social Policies and Health of Rome Capitale Barbara Funari.
“To inform them and help them defend themselves, we have published, in collaboration with the ACLI of Rome and the Prefecture, the manual ‘I’m old but I don’t fall for it’, anti-fraud tips to understand how to recognize bad guys and how to behave. A useful handbook which, also considering the discovery of the manual used by the scammers, takes on even more value in countering the plans of organized crime. In addition to providing preventive tools, it is also important to promote moments of psychological support for victims, helping them to overcome their fears and shame, to build a network of solidarity that can help the elderly and make them feel less alone”, concludes Funari.< /p>