A statement from the Carabinieri indicates that the operation was led by the Provincial Command of that force in the northern city of Genoa, and included raids in the provinces of Naples, Caserta, Benevento, Avellino, Palermo, Brescia, Pavia, and Cosenza, in coordination with the authorities of those territories.

The pretrial detention orders were issued by the Naples Court of Instruction, at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of that city, on charges of criminal association to defraud the elderly, receiving stolen goods, and money laundering.

The suspects were charged with a total of 33 aggravated frauds in the pretrial detention order, 27 of which were completed and six attempted, committed between May 2024 and January 2025, with illicit profits well exceeding 300,000 euros, the report states.

The investigation revealed that the scams were carried out using “telephone operators,” responsible for contacting the victims, as well as “transfer agents,” responsible for collecting the money and jewelry from the victims, and “couriers,” who transported the proceeds of the crimes to Naples.

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