They attempted to scam an elderly woman: a Neapolitan couple was ordered to leave Salento

Lecce – Two people originally from Naples, a 45-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman, will not be able to set foot in Salento for the next four years.

The police chief of Lecce has issued two compulsory expulsion orders against them, with immediate effect, following an attempted fraud against an old woman resident in Surbo. The two, reported for the incident, had planned a scam that was however foiled thanks to the promptness of the victim's son.

The criminals' plan was developed through a phone call: a self-styled policeman contacted the elderly woman, telling her a made-up story about a supposed road accident caused by her son.

According to the script, to avoid the young man ending up in prison, the woman would have to hand over 5.000 euros in cash or, alternatively, gold jewelry of equal value. An extortion attempt that did not go well: the victim's son, suspicious, immediately alerted the real carabinieri, ruining the criminal plan.

The investigations have allowed the identification of those responsible, now hit by the provision that will keep them away from the province of Lecce until 2029. An episode that once again highlights the vulnerability of the elderly in the face of these insidious deception strategies, but also the importance of a timely reaction to counter them.