Naples – Calling themselves "Uncle and Aunt," Alessandro D'Errico and Antonietta Mascitelli are the two organizers of a group of elderly scammers who, between September 2023 and March 2024, carried out 43 aggravated scams, 28 of which were completed and 15 attempted, for a total loot exceeding €330. This complex system was based on a precise division of roles: logistics, telephone operators, and operations.
At dawn today, the Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Genoa, with the support of their colleagues in Naples, executed 13 arrest warrants against the two and 11 accomplices.
The investigation, coordinated by the Genoa Public Prosecutor's Office and called "Pomelia", involved approximately 100 soldiers in the provinces of Naples and Genoa.
The two managed a complex system, based on a precise division of roles: logistics, telephone operators and operations.
A structured and itinerant organization
The group made use of a logistics component that provided vehicles, cell phones and premises transformed into actual call centers, from which the scam calls were sent.
The “telephone operators” were responsible for identifying and contacting the victims, while an operational team was responsible for personally collecting money and jewelry from the defrauded elderly people.
The scam followed two recurring patterns. In the first, a self-styled Carabinieri marshal or lawyer would contact the elderly person, telling them that a relative (usually a child or grandchild) had caused a serious car accident.
To avoid criminal consequences, immediate payment was requested. In the second scheme, a fake relative asked for money for an alleged win in a public competition or for the urgent delivery of a package.
Once the victim was convinced, a “traveler” – already present in the area – would show up at the door to collect the money or jewelry. The victim, kept on the phone until the delivery, was thus isolated and unable to contact family members or the police.
A well-organized network, even in risk management
The organizers took care of every detail: from the selection of the areas to hit, to the booking of B&Bs for the emissaries who left Naples on Sunday evening and remained away for the whole week.
. Travel was done by rental cars, trains or taxis, while communications between members of the group took place through “clean” cell phones or those registered to untraceable foreign front men, and through messaging apps.
To select potential victims , "screen calls" were made: short phone calls to landlines in selected locations to see if an elderly person answered. Only after this screening process was the real action begun.
In the event of the arrest of a member of the group, the association guaranteed immediate legal assistance and financial support to the family members, demonstrating the solidity and organization of the association.
Operation “Pomelia” represents a severe blow to a rapidly growing criminal phenomenon that exploits the emotions and fragility of the elderly to enrich themselves with ruthless methods. Investigations continue to identify any other accomplices and branches of the network.
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The article deals with a very serious and worrying situation. It is incredible how there are people who take advantage of the vulnerability of the elderly to defraud them. We hope that justice will take its course and that they will be stopped.