“Vacuum cleaner scam”, dozens of victims between Olbia and Sassari

One of the victims of the scam in a group in Olbia speaks.

They are selling a vacuum cleaner from a well-known brand that has a commercial value of over 1,000 euros at just over 200 euros because “in economic difficulty”, but it’s a scam. It’s called the “vacuum cleaner scam” and it is now nationwide, with many cases also in Olbia and Sassari.

A scam from true professionals because there are several dozen victims only in Olbia and Sassari, deceived by leveraging the psychological aspect. One of them knows this well, as she was convinced to leave a deposit to the malicious person, who then, after receiving the money, disappeared into thin air. “I saw the advert in a group from Olbia on social media – says SM from Sassari – so I contacted her and she rushed me a lot, saying that the vacuum cleaner belonged to her cousin. So she gave me a WhatsApp contact where she told me about economic problems and difficulty paying rent. I heard her voice, with a Sicilian accent, she was crying on the phone and so she convinced me to make the purchase”.

The woman then makes an instant bank transfer of 150 euros, the other money would have been given upon delivery of the vacuum cleaner, which never arrived. “I asked her when she would send me the goods and she disappeared, blocking me and deleting all the chats. Luckily I had this person’s IBAN and details. I went to report it to the Carabinieri and they informed me that this scam is going around all over Italy.”

In fact, the vacuum cleaner scam is also spreading in Belluno, Cuneo, Treviso and other parts of Italy. The modus operandi, and probably the person, they are always the samethe. “My sister contacted another account that sold the vacuum cleaner, to recover the deleted chats – explains SM – and lured her in the same way”.