A new blow to scams targeting the elderly comes from the investigative axis between Rome e Naples. The Carabinieri Officers at Rome's Porta Portese station have executed a precautionary custody order against a 20-year-old Neapolitan man, already under house arrest for previous crimes, who is seriously suspected of aggravated extortion committed in the capital in November 2024. The order was issued by the Rome investigating judge at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office, Department of Widespread and Serious Crime.
The investigation began with the victim's complaint, a particularly frail elderly woman with a 75 percent disability. Through a complex investigation, concluded in October 2025, investigators reconstructed the young man's role through analysis of telephone and internet records, video surveillance images, and photographic identifications performed by the victim.
According to the findings, the 20-year-old allegedly acted in concert with other as-yet-unidentified accomplices, using the tried-and-true scheme of a "fake lawyer" or a self-styled law enforcement officer. With these ploys, he allegedly gained the victim's trust, convincing her to hand over €14 in cash. A carefully planned scam, it exploited fear and a sense of urgency to obtain the money.
On the same day, the Carabinieri, also in Naples, conducted a personal and home search of another man, also from Naples, accused of aggravated fraud against an elderly woman in Rome in September 2025. The investigation, still ongoing, has already led to the recovery of a total of 50 euros in cash stolen through fraud.
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