The gang of scammers who in several provinces of Lombardy and Piedmont defrauded elderly victims with the false ruse of a relative’s road accident has finally been dismantled
The agents of the State Police of Vercelli have dismantled, after careful investigative investigation, an association dedicated to scams against elderly people and took the perpetrators of the scams to prison.
The police officers of the Lombardy Mobile Squad in collaboration with their colleagues from the Mobile Squads of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta, coordinated by the Central Operations Service, are carrying out the following operations in these hours: various precautionary measures in prison ordered by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The operation
The investigation by the State Police has shed light on 27 episodes of fraud committed in several provinces of northern Italy, between Lombardy and Piedmont. In particular, the cities targeted by the scammers are: Vercelli, Novara, Biella, Lodi, Alessandria, Pavia, Varese, Como, Milan and Monza.
Diverse dozens of confirmed cases of fraud where victims reported having received a call by a fake member of the police force, a lawyer or even a family member, who told them of an alleged car accidentobviously never happened, in which he remained a relative involved of the victim.
So, to avoid legal or health consequences for the person responsible for the accident (relative of the victim), a professional – a lawyer or a fake policeman – claimed that it was necessary to urgently deliver them a large sum of money and, if the victim was unable to reach the requested sum, the criminals convinced him to hand over all the family valuables he had available at home.
READ ALSO: >>> Milan, the restaurant that prolongs your life: everything about the Longevity Restaurant
READ ALSO: >>> Taylor Swift in concert in Milan, online auctions and monstrous figures: tickets sold for up to 2800 euros
The 5 Scams to Watch Out For
Scams are nothing more than deceptions with which the victim in question is deceived and convinced to give up money or valuables. There are different types of scams. Specifically, as reported on the website of poliziadistato.it cases may be:
- FALSE PAYMENT OBLIGATION. The person is misled regarding a non-existent payment obligation. For example, the scammer shows up at the home as an inspector from ENEL, ITALGAS or other, asking to check the meter; obviously the fake inspector will contest some irregularity and ask for a cash payment. Often the person, intimidated and respectful towards the authorities, gives in to the deception and pays a fine or a balance that is never due to resolve as quickly as possible a debt situation that creates a state of anxiety. What to do? First of all, remember that no Public Body sends its employees to collect payments of bills or other from users. Even in the case of illegal connections, the inspector draws up the report but does not collect the fine. Never believe fake receipts that the scammer issues to give a semblance of legality in the eyes of the victim. In case of doubt about the sincerity of the person who presents himself, always call the Carabinieri station without hesitation or fear of disturbing. Do not let strangers into your home.
- SCAM CONCERNING THE VALIDITY OF BANKNOTES OR SECURITIES (BOT, CCT, Postal Savings Certificates, etc.) Generally, the scammer gains the elderly person’s trust by showing a false membership card from a control body, or by showing his own banknotes declared legal or otherwise. He will then ask to see the banknotes in the victim’s possession, after which he will declare them out of circulation or false, then he will withdraw them, issuing a false receipt and promising to return the next day with an equivalent sum or with the instruction to go to a bank to have valid securities issued. In this case remember that no organization sends its employees to your home to check banknotes or securities, much less to collect them. Never believe false receipts that the scammer issues to give himself a semblance of legality. If in doubt about the sincerity of the person who presents himself, always call the Carabinieri station. Do not let strangers into your home. Never keep large sums of money or securities in your home. but deposit them in a bank or in a safety deposit box, considering that all banks now offer securities management services and that keeping large sums of money at home is also uneconomical.
- SCAMS WITH COUNTER-PERFORMANCE This type of scam is aimed not only at elderly people but also to young people, sometimes unemployed or looking for work. Usually the victim is offered a subscription to a magazine or the purchase of paintings, encyclopedias, linens, household items; often the sale is accompanied by very rich prizes in the event of the conclusion of the contract. The most common scam involves the offer to sell a set of linens, convincing the person that it is a promotional sale and therefore accompanied by a valuable gift such as a stereo system, radio, etc.; in exchange for the payment of even considerable sums (over 500 euros). In these cases the person is deceived by the quantity of goods sold and the price (low if the goods were of quality) or by the false promise of immediate withdrawal of the goods in the event of dissatisfaction. Another trick is to have the victim sign a contract by resorting to deception, for example by saying that it is a statistical survey and that the signature is only used to prove the answer, and yet saying that the victim has won a competition or has been chosen for a promotional activity. In these scams, as in those of the fake tax collector, some introduce the variant of the blank check: when the victim does not have enough cash, the check is made to be signed, saying that it will then be filled out by the collector for the agreed amount. Always confide in a trusted person before committing sums of money and in any case always be suspicious of those who rush.
- FALSE PAYMENT VOUCHER. A subscription to a magazine of little or no interest is made by signing a postal account form with pre-printed figures and beneficiaries that are completely similar to those on ENEL or TELECOM bills. Obviously, the person is deceived because of the similarity with bills for payments due to the State or other entities.
- THE THEFTS This case is the simplest but unfortunately the most frequent. With the most varied excuses, for example: having broken down the car, being lost, needing to make a phone call, needing to drink a glass of water or go to the bathroom, a person, sometimes female, but always well dressed and with kind and elegant manners, enters the house. While this distracts the victim, an accomplice enters the house and steals valuables and money.
