Naples - The Camorra's long shadow continues to loom behind yet another scheme of fraud and extortion targeting the elderly, which, by 2025, is tying up prosecutors' offices and mobile squads across Italy.
The latest operation comes from Padua, where the Flying Squad executed 11 precautionary measures—two arrests and nine daily house arrests—dismantling a criminal group that, according to investigators, operated steadily across Veneto, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Emilia-Romagna, and Abruzzo.
The promoter: a 32-year-old with ties to the Forcella Camorra
At the head of the organization, investigators say, was a 32-year-old criminal, arrested at his home in Naples. His name was already known to law enforcement: he had prior convictions for Camorra association, drug trafficking, attempted murder, and property crimes.
This profile echoes other arrests in recent months in central and northern Italy, where several criminal organizations linked to groups in the Naples area have been identified behind waves of scams targeting the most vulnerable.
A young and widespread network: the 'vice' is a 22-year-old
The age of the members is striking: a very young criminal organization, dominated by a 22-year-old woman from Pomigliano d'Arco, considered by investigators to be the boss's right-hand woman. She also has a serious criminal record: receiving stolen goods, illegal possession of weapons, resisting arrest, and brawling.
Alongside them are nine suspects—men and women between the ages of 20 and 50—almost all already known to law enforcement for a range of crimes, from fraud and forgery to drug dealing, robbery, and possession of counterfeit documents. They will be subject to strict requirements: staying at home at night, being prohibited from leaving their municipality of residence, and reporting to the police station daily.
A way to prevent further movements towards the North, where – investigators say – the group moved with ease, striking in multiple regions within the same week.
The method: extortion and scams with the help of artificial intelligence
The charges are serious: criminal conspiracy for the purpose of extortion, fraud, and other crimes, with 15 documented incidents in Northern and Central Italy. The dynamics are those already known from dozens of investigations launched in 2025: phone calls to the elderly, increasingly sophisticated deception, the use of digital techniques and even the artificial reproduction of family members' voices to induce panic in victims and obtain jewelry or cash.
An increasingly profitable criminal strategy. Padua Police Chief Marco Odorisio reminds us: gold fluctuates around 115 euros per gram on the official market, but in receiving stolen goods it immediately sells for around 75 euros. This margin explains why structured gangs continue to invest time and resources in hunting down valuables held by the elderly.
671 scams in just one year: the alarm in Padua
The overall picture is alarming. In 2025 alone, 671 scams targeting the elderly were reported in the province of Padua, 258 of which were in the capital city. These figures place the Euganean Hills among the most affected areas nationwide. According to investigative estimates, the illicit profits generated exceed €5 million.
The Padua investigation, launched in 2024 after a series of extortion cases and false emergencies involving victims over 70, resulted in the recovery and return of over €400 in jewelry and cash, a rare feat in this type of crime, where the stolen goods are typically split up and resold within hours.
A proven supply chain: Naples as a logistics base
The predominant presence of suspects residing in the Naples metropolitan area and in the municipalities surrounding Vesuvian territory (Pomigliano d'Arco, Castellammare, Marigliano) confirms a trend already evident in other operations in 2025, such as the raids against similar gangs in Trento, Parma, Brescia, and Rome.
A sort of "fraud chain": the base in Campania, the operational cells in the Centre-North, the receivers and the channels for placing the gold immediately after the scam.
A criminal model that, according to investigators, also draws nourishment from figures linked to the Camorra, capable of providing know-how, protection, and consolidated receiving channels.
The suspects: a complete map of the group
Overall, the following are involved:
2 people arrested: the 32-year-old boss and the 22-year-old deputy.
Nine recipients of obligations: between 26 and 53 years old, almost all with previous convictions for fraud, receiving stolen goods, drugs, resisting arrest, forgery, and robbery.
Four additional suspects are at large: including a 24-year-old woman, a 33-year-old man with a criminal record for stalking, and a 20-year-old man from Castello di Cisterna.
A mosaic of heterogeneous profiles united by the ability to move throughout the country to intercept easy victims.
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Comments (3)
These reports are becoming more and more frequent, and I wonder if the authorities are doing enough. The technology used by scammers is sophisticated and makes it difficult for seniors to recognize the risks.
The situation is truly worrying, but I believe that with greater surveillance and citizen education, the number of scams can be reduced. Seniors must be warned about these risks on a daily basis.
It's incredible how young people are implicated in such serious acts, especially the exploitation of the elderly. Law enforcement must do more to protect these vulnerable people from seemingly never-ending scams and violence.