'Mom, I had an accident': Man tricks elderly woman and steals her gold, two young men arrested

In the photo, a representative element of the story.

Santa Maria a Vico – "I'm your son, my car was stolen and they're in trouble." A frantic remark from the other end of the phone sent an elderly woman from Santa Maria a Vico into a panic. A cruel, meticulously planned setup resulted in the delivery of valuables before the victim realized she had fallen into the scammers' trap.

The dynamic is the unfortunately familiar one of a "fake accident" or a family member in distress. The man on the phone, posing as his son who lives out of the region, told the woman a tragic story: his car, recently stolen, was allegedly being used to carry out a robbery at a jewelry store. A few minutes after the warning call, a young man arrived at the elderly woman's door, tasked with collecting the "balance" needed to resolve the situation: a bag filled with gold jewelry.

When the elderly woman realized the ruse, she rushed to the local Carabinieri station. The officers began their investigation immediately, cross-referencing footage from public and private surveillance cameras in the area with photographic evidence. This detailed reconstruction effort allowed them to identify the alleged perpetrators in record time: an eighteen-year-old and a minor.

The two young men were stopped in the late afternoon while they were in the city center. They were reported at large to the competent judicial authorities (ordinary and juvenile) on charges of fraud.

Investigators seized the two smartphones in the boys' possession and the clothing worn during the robbery, which they consider key evidence for further investigation. The jewelry has not yet been recovered, and its total value is being estimated, while investigations continue to identify any accomplices or insiders.