Elderly scams in the Vulture area: Caserta couple arrested and €100 stolen property returned.

Potenza– Two people, a man and a woman residing in the province of Caserta, were arrested red-handed by the Carabinieri on charges of aggravated fraud and embezzlement during an operation targeting elderly scams carried out between Barile, Rionero in Vulture, and Atella, in the Potenza area.

The Carabinieri intervened following several timely reports to the emergency number 112 regarding scams involving the so-called "fake carabiniere" method: scammers contacted victims by phone and, posing as military personnel, asked for money to avoid alleged legal trouble for their children or grandchildren.

Officers intercepted the two suspects on State Road 219, in the Val Vitalba area, in a car they determined to be rented. During the search, they found gold jewelry (wedding rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and pendants) and over €19 in cash, divided into bundles of banknotes of various denominations, hidden in the vehicle and placed in a food container.

The total value of the recovered stolen goods was estimated at approximately €100, which was fully returned to the elderly victims of the scams. In addition to aggravated fraud, the two were also charged with embezzlement, as the vehicle used had never been returned to the rental company that owned it.

By order of the competent judicial authority, the arrested men were taken to the Potenza and Melfi prisons respectively; today, the investigating judge of the Potenza court confirmed the arrests, ordering pre-trial detention for both men.

The criminal proceedings are in the preliminary investigation phase; the defendants are presumed innocent until a final conviction is handed down.