Perugia – They tried to trick a 74-year-old woman from Nocera Umbra with the usual fake carabiniere script, but the plan failed thanks to the victim's lucidity and the timely intervention of the military.
Three young people, all originally from the province of Naples, have been reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office of Spoleto for attempted aggravated fraud.
The scam started with a phone call: a self-styled Carabinieri marshal informed the woman that her son had been involved in a serious road accident with injuries.
To avoid arrest, it would have been necessary to pay a large sum of money or hand over some jewelry. But the elderly woman, suspicious, immediately contacted the real carabinieri.
A plainclothes soldier, off duty, intervened immediately at the elderly woman's home, while a patrol from the Nocera Umbra station - supported by colleagues from Gubbio - spotted a suspicious car near the house. The soldiers managed to block the vehicle before the alleged scammers could drive away.
The investigations confirmed their involvement in the attempted fraud. Fundamental, according to the Carabinieri, was the victim's awareness, also developed thanks to the prevention campaigns carried out by the force in the area.
The intervention not only avoided the deception to the detriment of the 74-year-old, but potentially also to other vulnerable citizens.
Article published on 22 April 2025 - 09:24
This woman's story is important and shows that we must always be careful about who presents themselves as a carabiniere. Of course, it is bad to see that there are people who take advantage of the elderly to defraud them.
It's true, there are many scams nowadays and people should be more vigilant. The 74-year-old did the right thing by contacting the real police, without her the scammers could have escaped.