Italian police dismantle ‘fake Carabinieri’ fraud network

Italian Carabinieri in Imola arrested five men aged 20‑24, identified as being from Caserta and Naples, as part of a probe by the Florence prosecutor into an organized crime group. The group is accused of extorting elderly victims across several provinces—including Florence, Pisa, Bologna, Ravenna and Forlì‑Cesena—by impersonating police officers and lawyers. Victims were told a relative had caused a serious traffic accident and was detained, and they were pressured to pay money or hand over gold to secure the person’s release. The scheme operated throughout 2023 and 2024. Authorities say the suspects used coordinated phone calls and in‑person visits to collect the demanded sums, targeting vulnerable seniors with threats of severe consequences if they did not comply.