The phone rings in the homes of the elderly in Olgiate Molgora and, on the other end, there is often a scammer trying to scam them.
In recent days, dozens have been contacted by phantom police who tell of children involved in road accidents and in need of money.
Fortunately, it seems that no one has fallen into the trap.
However, the frequency and number of those involved was so high that the post of one of those targeted, after being published on social media, attracted around twenty comments from people who had gone through the same experience.
Among these, also the wife of Carlo Brusadelli, a well-known exponent of Forza Italia, who told how a stranger tried to deceive his wife.
«The other day the house phone rang, around midday. My wife replied. An unknown person, who identified himself as a carabinieri. He told her that a family member had been involved in a serious accident. Unfortunately for him, both my children and I were at home. As soon as my wife replied that it wasn’t possible, she hung up.”
The script was identical to that of a few days ago when a ninety-eight year old from Via Roma was targeted. The old woman had fallen into the trap and handed over the money to the scammer who showed up on her doorstep. Unfortunately for the latter, when the scam seemed to be successful, her daughter arrived, raised the alarm and, as reported, allowed him to be arrested.
In recent days, despite the arrest, the scam attempts carried out by a real gang armed with a telephone directory have multiplied so much as to push the municipal administration to launch an alert.
Deputy Mayor Matteo Fratangeli did it and informed everyone of what was happening on the Municipality’s social media pages, recommending maximum attention.
«We have reported attempted telephone scams. The increasingly frequent method is to stage incidents involving family members requesting money, providing the exact names of the relatives.
Another method often used by scammers is to pretend to be a bank operator and have an instant bank transfer made out to them under the pretext of blocking a fraudulent operation or diverting the money. It is essential not to open the door to strangers.”
Among the various scams reported, there is also that of the Whatsapp message. The message arrives from an unknown number, which pretends to be the son and says he has changed his number. He asks the parent to write down the new number, instead of the old one, and reply with a message. If he does it, the scam starts.
«Our police are alert – underlines the mayor Giovanni Battista Bernocco. – They have been carrying out numerous patrols for some time. However, the only possible countermeasure is informing possible victims.”
