Bari – A 20-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman, both originally from the Neapolitan hinterland, were arrested red-handed by the Bari State Police. The two are accused of aggravated fraud against an elderly woman, defrauded with the now well-known technique of the “fake carabiniere”.
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According to the investigators' reconstruction, the scammers identified the victim - an 80-year-old woman living in a town in the Bari metropolitan area - after a careful study phase.
Following a well-established script, the criminals obtained personal information about the woman and her family, thus managing to put her under pressure with a well-rehearsed staging: one of them, pretending to be a carabiniere, contacted her by telephone claiming that her nephew had been arrested following an accident and that bail was necessary for his release. Convinced of the urgency, the elderly woman handed over gold and cash worth approximately 1.200 euros.
The two were stopped on the highway
The investigations of the Bari Flying Squad, supported by the analysis of the images from the video surveillance circuits, allowed them to identify the car used for the escape, a dark gray Fiat 500. The vehicle was intercepted and stopped along the A14 motorway in a northerly direction. On board, the officers recovered all the stolen goods, which were then returned to the rightful owner.
The two alleged Fraudsters were arrested and taken to prison, awaiting a summary trial. The episode is part of an increasingly widespread criminal phenomenon, which sees the elderly as privileged victims of unscrupulous scammers. Police invites citizens to pay maximum attention and to promptly report any suspicions.
Article published on 8 February 2025 - 09:28
