Major operation against scams targeting the elderly: 77 precautionary measures and 152 people investigated throughout Italy

A large-scale operation conducted by the State Police, under the direction of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Genoa, led to the dismantling of a vast criminal network seriously suspected of commission of 103 scams against the elderly throughout Italy. After months of intense investigations, conducted by the Genoa Flying Squad, with the fundamental collaboration of the Naples Flying Squad and the operational assistance of the homologous offices of Bari, Benevento, Campobasso, Caserta, Frosinone, Isernia, Potenza and Salerno as well as the Crime Prevention Unit, Police investigators are executing 77 precautionary measures, including 22 prison detentions and 55 joint application of the precautionary measures of the obligation to reside in the municipality of Naples and the obligation to report daily to the judicial police, in addition to numerous searches in the cities of Naples and Caserta, targeting the leaders and operational members of a criminal association aimed at committing aggravated fraud against the elderly, dismantling the hierarchical structure of the organization.

The criminal network operated using the “fake accident” technique, contacting people by telephone, often pretending to be members of the police force, victims to deceive them with false alarms about alleged accidents or legal problems concerning their family members. With clever psychological strategies and without any scruples, The scammers convinced the elderly, now exhausted and terrified, to hand over money and valuables, making them believe they were necessary to resolve the simulated situations. The investigations have allowed us to ascertain that The group used telephones registered to front men, rented vehicles and various logistical bases to evade controls.

The investigations began in June 2023 following a scam committed in Genoa and then continued with technical investigations, which allowed to outline the alleged roles of each individual participant in the criminal association, rooted in the municipality of Naples and with a logistical base in Aversa, and engaged daily in organizing throughout the national territory various scams with the note “fake accident” mode occurred to the detriment of relatives of elderly victims. The investigations revealed that the group was made up of expert telephone operators, tasked with defrauding the victims, and “travelers”, responsible for collecting the money and goods, often precious, stolen from the elderly.

In particular the top of the structure, using apartments used as call centers, They were responsible for making between 600 and 1200 calls per day for each (operating simultaneously in 4/5 in the role of "telephone operators") to then use between 5 and 7 patrols of "operational" (persons in charge of collecting money from victims) located in various Italian provinces. The organization even provided, through "intermediary" associates dedicated to this aspect, logistical support and legal assistance in case of intervention by the police.

During the investigation, with the collaboration of the Flying Squads from almost all of Italy, 75 individuals arrested in flagrante delicto with the recovery of stolen goods worth several hundred thousand euros. Overall, therefore, in addition to the 77 executions, the restrictive measures adopted against the perpetrators of the hateful scams against elderly people were 152. During the numerous scams in which the “travellers” were arrested in the act, they were Cash and jewellery worth over 1 million euros seized, proving how the criminal activity of the association was particularly flourishing.

The State Police invites all citizens, especially the elderly and their families, to pay maximum attention to suspicious phone calls and to immediately report attempted scams to the Single Emergency Number 112. We also recommend that you always report the incident to the police, in fact, The reports constitute a valuable element, even after a long time, to identify those responsible for hateful conduct such as scams against the elderly. Finally, we would like to remind you that the police do not ask, for any reason, to provide cash or valuables to citizens.