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Mistretta, two arrests by the Carabinieri for defrauding an elderly woman

The operation is the result of the constant commitment that the Carabinieri and the Public Prosecutor's Office of Patti put into practice on a daily basis in the fight against specific criminal activities in the territory, with particular attention to crimes that see fragile and defenseless people as victims.

Mistretta (Messina), two arrests by the Carabinieri for defrauding an elderly woman

The Carabinieri of the Mistretta Company have carried out the application of the precautionary measure of house arrest, issued by the Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Court of Patti, following a request from the local Public Prosecutor's Office, against a 36-year-old and a 44-year-old, both from the province of Catania, presumed responsible for the crime of fraud in competition.

The operation is the result of an investigative activity conducted by the Carabinieri of the Mistretta Company, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Patti, led by Chief Prosecutor Angelo Vittorio Cavallo, from which serious circumstantial evidence emerged against the two suspects in relation to the fraud suffered by an elderly woman from Mistretta in May 2024.

The investigations, developed on the basis of the statements made by the victim and some witnesses, corroborated by technical investigations and analyses of the video surveillance systems, have allowed us to document the modus operandi used by the two alleged scammers, not based on improvisation, but rather through careful planning, through which they would have exploited the weakness and naivety of an easily suggestible elderly woman, then contacted by telephone and deceived with the "false carabiniere method", with the clear intent of gaining her trust and thus accessing her home to have gold jewelry and other valuables delivered to her.

In order to persuade her, the two alleged scammers allegedly staged a fake car accident involving the victim's son, with the request for a fake bail to avoid the relative's arrest. On that occasion, as reported in the elderly woman's complaint, the victim had been contacted on her landline by a person who, introducing himself as a "Marshal of the Carabinieri", had informed her that her son was under arrest at a Carabinieri barracks because he had been responsible for a car accident and that a large sum of money was needed to free him. Scared and worried, the woman had handed over all the valuables kept in the house for a value of over 50.000 euros to a man, later identified as one of the suspects, who, after about 30 minutes, showed up at his home pretending to be a member of the force. From what was ascertained during the investigations, the two individuals, after the fraudulent action, immediately left in a car, which later turned out to be rented.

Mistretta, due arresti da parte dei Carabinieri per truffa ad una anziana

The operation is the result of the constant commitment that the Carabinieri and the Public Prosecutor's Office of Patti put into practice on a daily basis in the fight against specific criminal activities in the territory, with particular attention to crimes that see fragile and defenseless people as victims.

The activity is also part of the action of the Departments of the Provincial Command of the Carabinieri of Messina to contrast the phenomenon of the elderly not only through the activities of investigation and control of the territory, but also and above all through information campaigns that, for some time, the military of the Arma have been carrying out throughout the province in favor of the possible victims of these serious crimes, in senior centers, parishes and through the media, spreading advice to avoid the scams that have allowed in several circumstances to foil numerous scams, which did not end well.

What happened shows how important it is to talk about this phenomenon. Obviously, as the Carabinieri repeat several times during meetings with the elderly on the subject of scams, first of all it is always necessary to specify that the Police Forces absolutely do not approach citizens asking for money or valuables for alleged payments of bail or other.

In the event that you are contacted, it is essential to call 112 immediately, both by those who have suffered an attempted scam and by those who, unfortunately, have realized they have been a victim; calling the emergency number can in fact allow the military and other Police Forces to intervene immediately and quickly identify those responsible. The cooperation of victims and all citizens informed about fraudulent events or situations often becomes indispensable.

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