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6 December 2025 - 16:54
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11 September 2025 - 19:38
A 78-year-old man from Catania was the victim of a scam by a 46-year-old from the province of Naples who, pretending to be his daughter, stole 990 euros from him.
The man received a message in a chat in which a person pretending to be his daughter told him she had lost her cell phone and needed money to buy a new one. Worried about his daughter, the 78-year-old followed the instructions in the message and topped up a prepaid card with €990.
Only later did he discover that it was a scam, when he contacted his real daughter who confirmed that she had not lost her cell phone and had not asked him for money.
Meanwhile, the scammer sent another message to the 78-year-old, asking for another €850 to buy a tablet. At that point, the man realized he had been scammed and contacted the police.
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The officers of the Borgo Ognina Police Station started the investigations and, thanks to the analysis of the bank flows and telephone numbers, they managed to identify and report the crook.
Here are some tips to avoid falling victim to similar scams:
Never send money to people you don't know.
Be wary of urgent requests for money.
Contact the person who contacted you directly to verify their identity.
If in doubt, contact the Police.
It is important to raise awareness among older people about this type of scam, so that they are more aware of the risks and know how to defend themselves.
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