Lodi – The victim, a woman in her 80s, received a call from a self-styled Carabinieri lieutenant. The man, in an authoritative tone, told her of an alleged robbery that had occurred a few hours earlier in Milan, involving the elderly couple's car.
To "exonerate" the family from any accusation, he explained that a colleague would arrive shortly to collect all the gold and cash in the house, so that they could be compared with the loot from the fake robbery. The arrival of the accomplice
A few minutes after the call, the fake Carabiniere—a 19-year-old Italian resident of Acerra—appeared at the door. With a firm and professional demeanor, he demanded and obtained several gold jewelry pieces and €400 in cash. He then quickly left the apartment.
The providential intervention of the Police
The woman, perhaps suspicious or having realized the deception, contacted 112. Officers from the Lodi Police Headquarters' Flying Squad intervened promptly: they intercepted and blocked the young man right outside the victim's home, arresting him red-handed for aggravated fraud.
In addition to the arrest, the 19-year-old was immediately issued a mandatory four-year expulsion order by the municipality of Lodi and the entire province. This morning, during a summary hearing, the judge confirmed the arrest and ordered him to remain in the municipality of Acerra, where he resides.
The stolen goods—jewelry and cash—were recovered and returned to the elderly owners. This incident is part of a wave of scams targeting the elderly that continues to generate numerous cases throughout Italy, often carried out using the tried-and-tested technique of "faking a police officer" or "faking an accident." Law enforcement officials reiterate their call to never hand over money or valuables to strangers who present themselves with these motives and to call 112 immediately if in doubt.
It seems like a strange story to me. The lady, unfortunately, believed a fake policeman and handed over jewelry and €400. The officers arrived very quickly and recovered the items. You should never answer and call 112 immediately, as a courtesy. Don't open doors to strangers.