It was a day like any other for an 84-year-old from Padua. Her husband hospitalized, she alone at home. A phone call, a fake lawyer, a son in difficulty. And then the theft: 50 thousand euros worth of gold and precious objects, stolen by a surprisingly young fraudster.
“We need the necessary bail to avoid prison for our son”, this is how the sixteen-year-old showed up at the elderly lady’s door. A scam technique as old as the world, but which continues to work, especially on the elderly, who are often alone and defenseless.
But this time, the police were faster. Investigators from the Padua Police Headquarters stopped the suspect and returned the stolen goods to the rightful owner”. It is the result of a quick investigation, conducted by the Padua Flying Squad in collaboration with the Rome Polfer.
The scammer, a boy of just 16 years old, almost managed to get away with it. But the train journey from Padua to Naples was interrupted in Rome, thanks to the timely action of the Railway Police. He still had the entire loot with him, as well as payment cards.
“An increasingly sophisticated criminal commuting also in terms of knowledge of the rules”, This is how the phenomenon is described. In many cases, minors are hired, who cannot be charged with the crime of extortion and for whom arrest for fraud is not foreseen. A vile way of exploiting the most fragile categories, the elderly.
There are nine fraudsters arrested by the Padua Flying Squad in less than a year, another 16 have been identified and reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Among these, also two minors aged just 15.
