Imperia, Chiavari: The Carabinieri arrest another serial scammer on the move. Using the “fake lawyer” technique, he defrauds a 93-year-old woman.

Several had been during the day calls to 112 of the Provincial Command of Imperia by some users (mostly elderly) who reported that they had been subjected to a attempt to scam with the now well-known “fake Carabiniere or Lawyer” technique or who, in any case, asked for confirmation regarding the arrest of a loved one of theirs, believed to be responsible for a serious road accident.

All external services in uniform and plain clothes were immediately alerted and the Carabinieri began searching for suspicious vehicles or people in the areas from which most of the calls came, concentrating especially in the area where an elderly woman had just been tricked into giving over three thousand euros in cash to a self-styled lawyer, as a down payment to avoid the arrest of her daughter who was responsible for a serious road accident.

The observation and control services, also conducted with the help of city cameras, allowed the identification of a white MG SH rental car that could correspond to the vehicle used by the fraudster.

A long shadowing by some people then began plainclothes patrols of the Carabinieri of Imperia who hooked up and followed the car along theA10 to Chiavari, where she was safely stopped by a patrol of the Sampierdarena subsection of the Genoa Highway Police.

There was only one driver on board the vehicle, a 56 year old from Naples with multiple criminal records and furthermore burdened by a precautionary measure of December 2024 of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Trapani for crimes of the same nature.

When searched, the man was found in possession of the money stolen from the elderly woman, a smartphone and some of the clothing worn during the commission of the crime.

Taken to the barracks, after the ritual formalities the man he was accompanied to the province of Naples where he was placed under arrest at his home and made available to the Judicial Authority for further procedural follow-up.

In recent weeks, the Prefect of Imperia – Doctor Valerio Massimo Romeo – had raised the attention on the phenomenon of scams against the elderly so that every useful initiative could be launched to raise awareness among citizens on this sad phenomenon, unfortunately very widespread also in our province.

The Carabinieri reminds you that it is able to offer timely assistance thanks to the widespread presence of Carabinieri Stations throughout the State, which you can contact or request their intervention by calling 112 NUE or, again, by consulting the site carabinieri.it, which illustrates the main types of scams and how to recognize them.

The dedicated pages of the site provide clear and simple advice on how to avoid falling victim to scams, including being careful when opening the door to strangers and being wary of appearances and, in any case, calling 112 at the slightest doubt.