Fake Carabinieri scams target elderly across Italy

A series of telephone and in‑person scams impersonating Carabinieri have been uncovered in several Italian regions. In Velletri, a 21‑year‑old was arrested after posing as a marshal, threatening a 77‑year‑old with a forced search unless he handed over jewellery. The plot was foiled when the victim’s daughter called emergency services. Similar schemes were reported in Mussolente, where a 23‑year‑old pretended to be a marshal and attempted to obtain gold from a mother and daughter, and in Castiglione della Pescaia, where fraudsters used the pretext of a car‑theft investigation to demand money and valuables. In Salento, a 39‑year‑old woman was arrested for two separate extortions of elderly women, extracting gold and cash after claiming a relative was in police custody. Naples saw two senior women robbed within an hour, each duped by callers claiming the victims' cars had been used in a jewellery robbery and that police would search their homes. In Osimo, three suspects were charged for frauds that involved false claims of a family member’s seizure and demands for jewellery. Across the incidents, victims were senior citizens, the scams relied on the authority of police impersonation, and most were stopped after family members or neighbours alerted the Carabinieri. Arrests have been made for ages ranging from 21 to 39, and investigations continue to identify remaining accomplices.