Gravina di Catania: scams against the elderly, Carabinieri on the front line to prevent them

The Awareness campaign against scams, promoted by the Provincial Command of the Carabinieri of Catania, which has reached more than 100 citizens at Sports hall of Gravina di Catania. Thanks to the intervention of the Lieutenant Gabriel Benevento, Commander of the Operational and Radiomobile Nucleus of the Gravina di Catania Company and of the Lieutenant Special Charge Filippo Giustino, Commander of the Carabinieri Station of Gravina di Catania, the Carabinieri offered practical advice and preventive measures, strengthening the bond of trust and closeness with the citizens.

The Carabinieri pay particular attention to vulnerable subjects, including the elderly, increasingly fragile in the face of the dangers of modernity. The Institution has already taken effective initiatives for their protection for some time, especially in relation to scams: an increasingly widespread and current phenomenon, which targets fragile people, leaving indelible marks on them. In addition to the economic damage and psychological trauma of the invasion of their domestic space, the victims also suffer, in fact, the guilt of having been defrauded. In this context, the territorial force has decided to launch a communication campaign aimed at the population most affected by this type of crime, with the aim of strengthening prevention and increasing the social reassurance function.

Among the techniques illustrated, there is the so-called “road accident scam“, in which the criminals, posing as a policeman or a lawyer, pretend that a relative of the victim has been involved in a serious accident. Taking advantage of the emotional sensitivity and physical fragility of the elderly to gain their trust, the scammer asks for money or jewelry to “avoid legal consequences” or to “provide urgent medical care”.

During the meeting, it was highlighted that No member of the police force, nor of public service providers or lawyers can ask for money or valuables, in any capacity, for a service or even for the resolution of a problem. The watchword that was repeated several times to the audience is: “contact the Carabinieri".

At the end of the meeting, in addition to providing the telephone number of the competent station for the territory and the Operations Centre of the Gravina di Catania Company, it was also recalled that the Single Emergency Number 112 is active 24 hours a day, finally providing the following recommendations: be wary of appearances, do not open the door to strangers, verify the identity of anyone who shows up, do not provide sensitive data, pay attention to deliveries, do not give sums of money or other goods to strangers, be wary of door-to-door purchases and report any suspicious cases to the authorities.

The citizens who attended were therefore invited to follow these simple rules for Protect yourself from scams and report any suspicious incidents.