He asks a 93-year-old for money for a package, another scammer reported

Particular resurgence in scams targeting the elderly. In the last period there have been numerous incidents reported in Basilicata. In several cases the victims were not fooled and notified the police in time. One of the techniques to pay more attention to is the phone call home from a fake policeman who fears a road accident caused by a child or grandchild of the targeted person and asks for money to avoid arrest and other legal consequences .

But there are also cases, which occurred in recent years, on which investigations are continuing. One was discovered in Matera and in this story the excuse of the delivery of a package by a courier, with a request for money, was used.

The State Police of Matera has served the Notice of conclusion of the preliminary investigations, issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Matera, against a 21-year-old Neapolitan man, under investigation for aggravated fraud. The crime was apparently committed by two men, in collaboration with unidentified accomplices, who took possession of the sum of 5,700 euros and several gold jewels belonging to an elderly woman from Matera.

The episode dates back to September 2020, when the old woman (born in 1931) received a phone call from a man posing as her nephew, urging her to hand over a large sum of money, as payment for the delivery of a package that would have been delivered shortly thereafter. However, on her phone it was not her nephew but an impostor, who allegedly convinced her to open the door to her alleged courier and hand him 4,000 euros. After a short time, the lady was contacted again and induced to deliver further money and jewels, with the promise of the return of her assets once her nephew had paid off the debt. Thus, another 1,700 euros and several gold jewels were delivered to the courier, as a guarantee of successful delivery. During the events, the woman was unable to contact her real nephew, as her telephone line was busy, probably by another accomplice to the scam.

The investigations of the Flying Squad made it possible to first identify one of the couriers, already subjected to criminal proceedings in 2021. The identification of the second accomplice, however, required the analysis of the fragments of fingerprints detected by the Scientific Police on the package, delivered to woman and immediately seized by police officers. Once again we remind you to be extremely careful when you are contacted on the telephone by people claiming to be relatives, asking for money or other benefits. If you have even the slightest doubt, do not open your front door to strangers and contact the police immediately.