Fake nun and priest scam hits Italian elderly

The Italian authorities are warning older people that fraudsters have been posing as nuns and priests in order to gain access to the homes of elderly people. Italian government figures reveal that more than 13,500 elderly victims were targeted by scams last year - a figure that was up almost 16% in two years.

The government has issued an awareness campaign, warning about people trying to gain access to their home - and has targeted bank and post office staff to encourage them to ask questions when elderly people try to withdraw large sums.

The Telegraph reported that in one version of the crime the thieves dress as nuns or priests and ring the doorbells of their victims pretending to represent the local parish. They offer to bless their homes in order to gain entry and take valuable items.

In another version, older women have their bags stolen when they visit the graves of their relatives. They are then called by someone who pretends to have found the bag, who asks them to come and collect it. As soon as the victim leaves home, their property is burgled.

And in a third variation, criminals telephone elderly women and pose as members of the family in order to ask for cash. They then send round a local to pick the money up. Europol announced last week that it had captured 12 suspects in a Europe-wide gang who had carried out at least 250 of these so-called grandchild tricks.

It said: "The elderly targets are most likely to have a 'nest egg', own their home, and/or have excellent credit – all of which make them attractive to fraudsters. They are generally raised to be polite and trusting. Criminal networks exploit these traits, knowing that it is difficult or impossible for these individuals to say 'no' or just hang up the telephone."

British scams
And while the fake nuns and priests would seem to be a specifically Italian scam, older people around the world are being targeted by fraudsters, who see their assets and polite approach as making them ideal targets. According to the Insolvency Service, in three years around 2,000 elderly people have been the victims of scams in the UK - losing a combined £28 million.

UK Government figures show that the risk of an older person being scammed is 2.2 times more likely than assault, 2.4 more times likely than theft and 13 times more likely than robbery. They also highlight that high risk investment scams and doorstep service providers pose a particular risk for this age group.

Age UK says the best defence for older people is to err on the side of caution, not to allow people access to their property, and never to accept doorstep services. It adds that if they are unsure, they need to speak to someone they trust before deciding on anything.

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