It all began in the shops of the central via Catania of Adrano, where a pensioner had just made some purchases. A distinct man, with kind ways and with a heartfelt tone, approached him asking for information about a local doctor.
He told her a moving story: that doctor, he says, had edited his father, who was injured in war. Now that the parent is dying, he, for gratitude, wants to donate 150 thousand euros to the doctor. But not knowing anything about him anymore, he needs help to trace him. The old woman listens carefully. The man seems sincere.
To strengthen the truthfulness of the story, a second stranger intervenes, apparently checked by chance, who presents himself as a cardiologist and confirms that he meets that doctor … Too bad he has been dead for some time. It is the perfect twist. The old woman is now completely immersed in a narrative that seems to be taken from a film. At that point, the fake benefactor decides to carry on his generous donation anyway. Will allocate part of the sum into charity and, as thanks for the availability shown, He wants to give 25 thousand euros to each of those present: to the old woman and the “cardiologist”.
But of course, there is an obstacle. To formalize everything, you need a contract drawn up by a lawyer. The “cardiologist” pretends to call a trusted lawyer and announces that he is available to meet them immediately, but only if the two beneficiaries anticipate 25 thousand euros each as a “guarantee”. A figure that the elderly cannot even remotely afford. Confused, but still confident, it reveals that he has only 1,400 euros at home. The man does not beat an eyelid: he immediately proposes to accompany her home to recover the sum. The woman accepts, gets by car with the two men and delivers the money. Then, together, they head towards the alleged law firm. But the farce is destined to conclude cruelly.
With the excuse of buying two sheets of “stamped paper” necessary for the contract, the elderly person is convinced to get off the car in a tobacconist bar. When it comes out of the shop, the car has disappeared. Just like his 1,400 euros.
Only at that moment he realizes the bitter truth: he was scammed. TRUSE but determined, the woman shows up at the Adrano police station and reports everything. It provides every possible detail, including the description of the car. A meticulous investigation starts. Scientific police officers sifteen the images of the city cameras. And it is thanks to those filming that the vehicle used by the scammers is identified: a car rental in Giarre by a man well known to the police.
The suspect is 77 years old, is originally from Messina and has a long series of precedents for scams designed with the same technique. The policemen track the movements of the vehicle through the GPS and confirm his presence in Adrano on the day of the scam. Thanks to the collaboration between the Commissioner of Adrano and the Anti -Crime Division of the Messina Police Headquarters, the man is identified and reported to the judicial authority for aggravated fraud, while remaining valid for the presumption of innocence until definitive sentence. Meanwhile, investigations continue to give a face and a name to the accomplice, the fake cardiologist, vanished into thin air together with the promise of a legacy that did not exist.