In recent days, in Catania, the carabinieri of the Zanclea Scaletta Station, supported in the executive phase by the military of the company of Catania Fontanarossa, carried out an order issued by the investigating judge of the Juvenile Court of Messina, with which it was The placement in the community of a 17 -year -old from the place, held responsible for two distinct episodes of aggravated fraud committed to the detriment of elderly people, with the false method belonging to the law enforcement agencies.
The measure originates from the investigations of the carabinieri of the Scaletta Zanclea station, started immediately after the arrest of a 19 year old from Catania, made in the act of crime, and to the referral of the minor investigated, in relation to the crime of aggravated fraud, committed last May 21 to the detriment of an elderly from Itala. On that occasion, according to the reconstruction of the military of the weapon, The elderly person would have been contacted by telephone by an interlocutor who, passed off belonging to the weapon, to persuade him, would have staged a false road accident in which his son would have been involved, making the request of 10,000 euros useful as a bail to avoid the arrest of the relative. Frightened and worried, the elderly person sold the sum agreed to the suspect who would have presented himself on the door of his house shortly after, pretending to be the lawyer who was dealing with the cause of the son.
The development of the investigations also made it possible to shed light on the episode of scam committed on the same day against an old woman from Barcelona and traced back to the two I run as alleged managers. In the circumstance, the elderly woman, adequate by telephone by an interlocutor, to exonerate his accused daughter of theft, had handed over to a self -styled police officer presented at his door, a thousand euros and several precious.
As ordered by the judicial authority, the minor was placed at the community for minors “Mother House of Joy” in Comiso.
The activity is part of the action of contrasting the departments of the provincial carabinieri command of Messina of the phenomenon of scams to the elderly, which has so far allowed, since 2024, to arrest 18 people through the activities of investigation and control of the territory. But To combat these scammers, the military of the weapon have long been carrying out information campaigns in favor of the possible victims of these serious crimes, in elderly centers, parishes and through the media, spreading advice to avoid the scams that have allowed more circumstances to thwart numerous scams, not successful.
What happened shows how important it is to talk about this phenomenon. Obviously, as the carabinieri repeat several times on the occasion of the meetings with the elderly on the theme of scams, first of all it is always necessary to specify that the police forces are absolutely not aimed at citizens asking for money or precious for alleged payments of deposits or other. In the event that you are contacted, it is essential to call 112 immediacy, both by those who have undergone an attempt at a scam and by those who, unfortunately, realized that they were a victim of it; The call to the emergency number can in fact allow the military of the weapon and the other police forces to intervene immediately and quickly identify the managers. The collaboration of the victims and all citizens informed on events or fraudulent situations often becomes indispensable.