# Gaming console fraud in Rome

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/gaming-console-fraud-in-rome
> Updated: 2026-09-03T06:34:02.000Z. Sources: 11. Developments: 2.

Two men from the province of Naples have been reported to the Rome Prosecutor’s Office following an online gaming console scam. The fraud, which targeted a victim and his mother, resulted in a loss of 11,000 euros.

The scheme began when a victim responded to an e-commerce advertisement for a rare console priced at 199 euros. After moving the conversation to a private number, the suspects allegedly used technical issues as a pretext to induce multiple instant bank transfers over several months. The 71-year-old suspect was falsely presented as the 22-year-old’s grandfather to solicit additional payments from the victim’s mother. Financial and digital forensics conducted by the Carabinieri traced the funds back to the suspects.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-03: Criminal cases involve market theft in Romania and embezzlement in the Netherlands

Two separate legal cases involve a 9,000 lei theft at a Romanian market by repeat offenders and a 400,000 euro embezzlement in the Netherlands driven by gambling addiction.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/criminal-cases-involve-market-theft-in-romania-and-embezzlement-in-the-netherlands

### 2026-08-23: Rome police charge two men in 11,000-euro gaming console scam

Two men from Naples face charges after an online scam involving a 199-euro gaming console resulted in 11,000 euros being stolen from a Roman man and his mother through fraudulent bank transfers.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/rome-police-charge-two-men-in-11000-euro-gaming-console-scam

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Cite as: Gaming console fraud in Rome. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/gaming-console-fraud-in-rome