Sorrento: A fake court expert attempts to defraud two elderly people; the 22-year-old is arrested.

Sorrento – The scam began with a phone call to the landline of a woman who will turn 99 next year. Her 68-year-old son answered the call.

On the other end of the line, a man identified himself as a Carabinieri marshal from Sorrento and told a story designed to sow fear and confusion: someone, according to the false soldier, had used the 68-year-old's car to carry out a robbery.

Hence the request: prepare all the money and jewellery present in the house to allow for a presumed verification and comparison with the stolen goods.

Two thousand five hundred euros and jewels ready to be delivered

The 68-year-old, confused by the phone call, followed the instructions he received. Together with his mother, he collected approximately €2.500 in cash, several bracelets and necklaces, and even the ring that belonged to his grandmother.

At that point, the fake marshal announced the arrival of a supposed court expert, charged with collecting the money and valuables to carry out the phantom comparison.

This was the crucial step in the scam: the victim was supposed to hand over the money and jewels directly to a stranger, convinced that this was an activity requested by the authorities.

The son-in-law realizes the scam and calls the Carabinieri

The situation changed when the 98-year-old's son-in-law arrived at the home. He immediately sensed something was wrong and contacted the Carabinieri of the Sorrento Company, explaining what was happening.

The Carabinieri intervened before the plan could be carried out.
When the fake expert showed up at the house to collect the money and valuables, the police were already there. The young man, a 22-year-old of Moroccan origin, was then stopped and arrested.

The 22-year-old was arrested

The young man will be charged with aggravated fraud. Following investigations, he was placed under house arrest pending his appearance in court.

The intervention of the Carabinieri allowed the scam to be stopped before the couple handed over the cash and jewelry. The scam was based on one of the most common scenarios used to defraud the elderly: false authority, a carefully constructed emergency, and the demand that the cash and valuables be handed over for a supposed inspection.