Fake Carabinieri Scam: Three Arrested in Naples After Castell’Arquato Investigation
Naples, May 31, 2026 – An investigation initiated by the Carabinieri Station of Castell’Arquato, under the coordination of the Piacenza Public Prosecutor’s Office, has led to the arrest of three individuals from the Naples area. They are suspected of orchestrating a sophisticated ‘fake Carabinieri’ scam targeting elderly individuals. The operation highlights a structured criminal organization with distinct roles for callers and ‘travelers’ who collected money and valuables.
The investigation began following a report on November 28, 2024, from an 88-year-old woman in Castell’Arquato. The victim received a phone call from a man impersonating a Carabinieri officer from Genoa, who informed her that her son had been involved in a serious car accident. To make the deception more convincing, the elderly woman was then connected to a weeping voice, purportedly her son, who urgently requested money.
Shortly after the call, a man dressed in dark clothing, wearing a cap and a beard, arrived at the victim’s home, identifying himself as a Carabinieri officer. Convinced of the urgency, the woman handed over nearly 500 euros in cash and various gold ornaments, including bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry.
Investigation Traces Scam to Naples
The first investigative lead came from surveillance footage obtained in the vicinity. Cameras from a nearby bank branch captured the arrival and departure of the alleged collector: a man dressed entirely in black, seen waiting near the entrance and using a mobile phone. This detail sparked a meticulous technical investigation.
Verifications allowed investigators to link a phone number to a young man from the Neapolitan area, believed to be one of the alleged perpetrators of the scam in Castell’Arquato, who later moved towards Brescia. The investigation then expanded to a second incident, which also occurred on November 28, 2024, in Bassano Bresciano, targeting another elderly woman, aged 87. The same modus operandi was used: an alarming phone call, a fabricated family accident, an urgent request for money, and the subsequent appearance of a fake law enforcement officer. In this case, the victim was defrauded of 350 euros, a necklace, two gold wedding rings, a pair of earrings, and a watch.
The investigative work revealed a well-organized structure, with clear roles: some individuals were responsible for making the calls, while others, known as ‘travelers,’ physically visited the victims’ homes to collect the money and valuables.
Arrests and Seizures
The Piacenza Public Prosecutor’s Office, agreeing with the investigative hypothesis presented by the Castell’Arquato Carabinieri, issued a personal and local search warrant for the identified suspects. These operations were delegated to the competent departments in Naples Centro, Caivano, and Casoria.
During the searches, the suspects were positively identified, and mobile devices linked to the criminal activity were found and seized. The investigations also led to the identification of a residence in the center of Naples, believed by investigators to be a possible operational base or ‘call center’ from which the calls to the victims originated.
At the conclusion of the operation, three men were reported: a 25-year-old resident of the Neapolitan area, a 43-year-old man from the Frattamaggiore area, and a 59-year-old individual residing in Naples, the latter believed to be connected to the identified logistical base. The charges include aggravated fraud, with aggravating circumstances related to the victims’ age, the particularly insidious nature of the scam, and the financial damage caused.
A Successful Investigation
“The investigation by the Castell’Arquato Carabinieri Station,” emphasized the Arma, “represents an example of investigative activity developed from a single local incident and continued through the cross-referencing of reports, images, fictitiously registered phone numbers, and movements across the national territory. Crucial was the timely acquisition of technical elements immediately after the report: the images of the man at the door, the presence of the mobile phone during the scam, the contacts between the victim’s phone and the numbers used by the fraudsters, up to the reconstruction of movements between Campania, Piacenza, Castell’Arquato, and Brescia.”
Source: piacenzasera.it
