Italian police impersonation phone scams steal gold and cash from elderly

Two separate incidents in Italy revealed a phone‑based fraud in which perpetrators pretended to be Carabinieri officers. In Acuto, a 90‑year‑old woman received a call from someone claiming to be a Carabinieri commander, warned that her home faced a robbery, and was instructed to hand over cash and gold to a supposed official who later arrived at her door and took the valuables. In Marotta di Mondolfo, a 1971‑born disabled man was similarly called by a fake marshal, told he was suspected of involvement in a robbery, and was directed to meet a man posing as a Carabiniere near a supermarket where he handed over cash and jewelry.

Both victims reported the scams to real Carabinieri, who opened investigations, reviewed surveillance footage and reiterated that authentic officers never request money or valuables for investigations. The police continue to search for the fraudsters responsible for the schemes.