Varapodio: scam of over 15000 euros to the detriment of a centenarian, two individuals arrested

The call from an unknown number, then a warm, authoritative voice, who introduces himself as a marshal of the Benemerita and tells her to collect all the money she has in the house, because her son has been arrested and bail must be paid. It is the scam with the now consolidated method of the fake carabiniere, the one that an elderly lady from the province of Reggio Calabria was about to fall into. Luckily for the woman, the Carabinieri, the real ones, were already on the trail of the two scammers, a man and a woman.

Reports to 112 and activation of the anti-fraud plan

The scammers were betrayed by the attempts they had made on the same day. In fact, they had not limited themselves to contacting the elderly woman from Varapodi, but had made similar phone calls to other fellow villagers of hers. Among them, an elderly woman who, having attended one of the anti-fraud courses organized by the Carabinieri of the Station, immediately understood the situation and called 112 to report the criminals. Immediate, therefore, the mobilization of all patrols in the territory, in search of suspicious people and vehicles.

The fatal mistake of scammers

And it is precisely by gravitating towards the town of Varapodio that the attention of the military of the Taurianova Company was captured by the presence of a suspicious car, stopped near the home of the elderly lady. On board, a man never seen before, who kept the engine running.
A carelessness that cost them dearly because, stopping to check on the man, the Carabinieri were able to notice that, standing at the door of the house, there was a woman, paralyzed at the sight of the soldiers. In her hand, a roll of banknotes and a package, inside which were then found all the jewelry that the defrauded woman had in the house. A loot of over 15.000 Euros, promptly returned to the victim, still convinced that the woman who entered her house was a Carabinieri marshal.

Procedural developments

Based on the evidence collected, the man and the woman, both in their early twenties and originally from Campania, were believed to have been arrested for the crime of fraud and taken to prison. The accusatory statement, supported by the Prosecutor of Palmi, Emanuele Crescenti, has found, to date, a preliminary acceptance in the subsequent validation of the arrest carried out by the GIP of Palmi, who ordered the continuation of the precautionary measure in prison.
The proceeding is currently pending in the preliminary investigation phase and the actual responsibility of the arrested person, given the validity of the accusations made against him, will be examined during the subsequent trial.

The Carabinieri's fight against elderly scams: prevention, repression and awareness

The phenomenon of scams targeting the elderly is one of the operational priorities of the Carabinieri, which for years has been implementing initiatives aimed at protecting the weakest segments of the population. With an integrated approach that combines prevention, awareness and repressive action, the Carabinieri conduct information campaigns in senior centers, parishes and through the media, spreading advice to avoid scams. At the same time, thanks to a widespread network of Stations, the Carabinieri intervene promptly to identify and arrest those responsible. The goal is to protect the elderly, restore their safety and prevent further victimization