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The Carabinieri of the Matera Company carried out in Naples a precautionary measure issued by the GIP at the Court of Matera against a 45-year-old of Campania origin, already burdened by specific criminal prejudices, suspected of having perpetrated on 3 January this year, in competition with a 45-year-old from Campania, a scam of over 10,000 euros to the detriment of a pensioner from Matera.
Specifically, the lady had been the victim of tricks and scams carried out through phone calls made to her landline number by a man who, posing as a Marshal of the Carabinieri, informed her that her son had caused a serious road accident by hitting a boy. that he was driving a moped, and that to avoid arrest he had to immediately hand over the sum of 11 thousand euros. The woman replied by saying that she did not have the necessary sum available, and that at that moment she only had 300 euros, but the fake Marshal reassured her by telling her that he could also hand over the gold jewelery she owned, and advised her not to close the phone and stay on the line even when the person in charge arrived to collect what was requested. After a while, a man went to the old woman’s house who said he was the person who had to withdraw the sum necessary for the release of her son. The woman then handed over all the money she owned equal to 300 euros and all the gold jewelery she had at home, worth around 10 thousand euros. Shortly thereafter, the old lady’s son, unaware of what had happened, returned home and the woman thus discovered that she had been the victim of a scam.
The investigations, immediately started by the Carabinieri of the Operations Section and by the Carabinieri Station of the Matera Company, and coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Matera, made it possible to identify the car used by the fraudsters. The investigations led to the identification of a 45-year-old Neapolitan man who the victim recognized without a shadow of a doubt as the person who had shown up at his home to withdraw money and jewellery. Subsequent investigations made it possible to identify the 45-year-old accomplice who had provided the car used to commit the crime.
On the basis of the investigations carried out, the GIP of the Court of Matera, at the request of the local Prosecutor’s Office, issued the coercive measure carried out by the Company of Matera in the early hours of the morning, translating the 45-year-old to the prison of Naples, while the accomplice was investigated in a state of freedom; However, it should be noted that the investigations carried out so far are in the preliminary investigation phase and require subsequent procedural verification in the cross-examination with the defence.
Today’s operation is part of a broader and more targeted activity launched some time ago by the Carabinieri, with the aim of combating the deplorable phenomenon of scams against elderly people. In the recent past, the Carabinieri of the Policoro Company have already managed, thanks to a timely report, to arrest two individuals who were about to carry out a similar scam, as did the Carabinieri of the Tricarico Company; the Carabinieri of the Matera Company instead proceeded, through investigations and following three separate precautionary custody orders, to identify and arrest five other fraudsters for separate episodes with the consolidated modus operandi of the “fake carabiniere”.
In every city, town and district of the national territory, the Army’s awareness-raising works aimed at preventing and combating the execrable phenomenon of scams perpetrated against the elderly are multiplying. These are social reassurance initiatives, which tend to consolidate the traditional relationship of closeness of the Army to citizens, with particular attention to those who are within the weakest and most defenseless segments of the population. For these people, fraud, in addition to the economic damage it entails, also represents a real reason for psychological decline: there is in fact the real danger that the victims may withdraw into themselves, compromising their autonomy and socialization. This is why in parishes as in cultural centers, in recreational clubs as in the headquarters of neighborhood associations, in concert and with the collaboration of local bodies and religious authorities, the Carabinieri continue to speak with the elderly, inform them on the ways in which scams are implemented and provide them with targeted advice so that they can defend themselves from the subtle techniques used by criminals to break into their homes.
At the end of these meetings, the participants become increasingly aware of an important concept: that of “participatory security”, useful for preventing crimes and promoting in an increasingly profitable way the indispensable collaboration with those involved in combating them. And the trust in the work of the police forces and the collaboration that citizens give them become fundamental prerequisites for the construction of an efficient communication network that allows us to prevent and contain the most frequent dangerous situations. However, the Carabinieri’s initiatives are not limited to the aforementioned meetings in places where it is easier to come into contact with the elderly. The contribution provided by the local press and media is fundamental, capable of spreading the awareness work undertaken by the Carabinieri to the greatest number of people (many regional and provincial radio and television stations broadcast commercials and videos informative).
The Carabinieri’s awareness-raising work does not even neglect modern social networks with their thematic profiles, and also the web with the institutional website www.carabinieri.it, on which citizens can find video tutorials, useful advice and of the decalogues that propose some simple and essential rules to deal with certain situations with greater safety and serenity and to protect yourself from scams and scams.
And in any case, in the presence of any doubtful situation, the Carabinieri invite you in all circumstances to call the emergency number 112 to request the intervention of a patrol of the Carabinieri.
