A well-established system, built by exploiting victims' trust and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, capable of transforming simple cell phone messages into a river of money destined for the Camorra coffers.
This is the mechanism revealed by the investigation coordinated by the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate, which led to the arrest of two people and the registration of twenty-two others under investigation. At the center of the investigation is an alleged criminal organization specializing in cyber fraud, capable of targeting victims throughout Italy and moving money between bank accounts and digital platforms until it disappeared without a trace.
According to investigators from the Guardia di Finanza's Special Currency Police Unit, the group stole approximately €800 from its victims between 2018 and 2023. A significant portion of the proceeds—approximately 40 percent—ended up in the coffers of the Casalesi clan, particularly the faction linked to the Bidognetti family.
The arrests and names of the investigation
Pasquale Corvino, 40, and his partner Angela Turco Cirillo, 43, both entrepreneurs from Caserta, active in the automobile trade and living in Italy and Spain, ended up in prison.
Investigators believe that Corvino was the instigator and organizer of the criminal conspiracy, while the woman acted as a direct collaborator. She was responsible for withdrawing cash from the bank accounts and delivering it to her partner, as well as managing the investment of the illicit proceeds in cryptocurrencies.
A total of 24 people are under investigation. Among them are Nicola Sergio Kader, believed to be close to the leaders of the Bidognetti faction of the Casalesi clan, and Vincenzo D'Angelo, now a collaborator with justice and son-in-law of longtime boss Francesco Bidognetti, known in criminal circles as "Cicciotto 'e mezzanotte."
The scam network between Italy and Spain
The investigation—coordinated by Deputy Prosecutor Michele Del Prete—took place over a five-year period, from January 2018 to December 2023, and also involved foreign authorities through international police cooperation channels.
Investigators have reconstructed 38 incidents of fraud against Italian private citizens and companies. According to the investigation, the group's operations took place between Italy and Spain, exploiting bank accounts and financial platforms located abroad to make it more difficult to trace the money flows.
To consolidate the evidentiary framework, 21 searches were carried out on homes and businesses in the provinces of Naples, Caserta, Modena, Benevento, Potenza, and Isernia.
The “smishing” mechanism
The most commonly used system was smishing, a cyber scam carried out via text messages or emails apparently originating from the victim's bank.
The message alerted the customer of a suspicious transfer or an unusual charge on their account. Then came the second stage of the scam: a phone call from the fake bank operator.
Posing as an anti-fraud officer, the scammer convinced the victim to make an instant transfer to a "secure" account indicated during the call. In reality, these were bank accounts linked to the organization.
Within minutes, the money disappeared from the victim's account and was transferred to a chain of other banking accounts, often abroad.
SIM cloning
A second scheme involved an even more sophisticated operation: cloning the SIM card associated with the victim's bank account.
The suspects managed to obtain a copy of the phone card and thus access the online banking system. This allowed them to receive the temporary security code (OTP) needed to authorize banking transactions directly on their phones.
Once inside the system, they made instant transfers to accounts controlled by the group, completely emptying the deposits.
The money in the clan's coffers
After the bank transfers, the money was quickly withdrawn in cash or moved to other bank accounts, even foreign ones.
According to investigators' reconstruction, approximately 40 percent of the proceeds were delivered directly to members of the Casalesi clan.
The money was used to finance the Camorra group's activities and support the families of prisoners, thus helping to maintain the organization's power structure in the area.
Investing in cryptocurrencies
In some cases, the proceeds of the scams were reportedly converted into virtual currencies.
Cryptocurrencies, according to investigators, were considered a safe investment precisely because of the difficulty in tracing the owners of digital wallets, the so-called crypto wallets.
A strategy that allowed them to launder part of the illicit profits and made it even more difficult to trace financial flows.
(pictured are Pasquale Corvino, Vincenzo D'Angelo, Nicola Sergio Kader, and Guido Diana)
This article describes a complex system, but the explanations are confusing and fragmented. The dates and figures seem to change, and the roles of the people involved are not always clear. The suspects operated between Italy and Spain, but the connection with the clan is presented without much detail and visible evidence.