Italy police arrest scammers using fake Carabinieri identity to steal gold

Police in Italy have arrested individuals involved in a recurring fraud scheme where scammers impersonate Carabinieri officers to steal gold jewelry from residents.

In Udine, a man was arrested after attempting to steal nearly 190 grams of gold. The scam involved a phone call from a fake marshal claiming the victim's car had been used in a jewelry heist. The victim was instructed to gather their valuables for verification by a fake official. The plan failed when the victim hesitated to hand over the gold, and the suspect was intercepted by the Mobile Squad upon leaving the residence.

In a similar incident in Cassino, a 31-year-old woman was arrested after attempting to defraud an elderly woman using the same ‘fake Carabinieri’ tactic. The victim was convinced via telephone to hand over her jewelry to an accomplice to verify it was not stolen property. An off-duty police officer noticed suspicious behavior and intervened. Upon searching the suspect, authorities recovered 450 grams of gold, 150 grams of pearls, and hashish. The stolen items were returned to the owner.