When Love Turns to Fraud: A Cautionary Tale from Civitanova
By Your Humble Commentator
Ah, love in the digital age! It’s a jungle out there, folks—a perilous realm where clicks can lead to sweet serenades or, as we’ve tragically seen in the story from Civitanova, slippery scams. Buckle up as we delve into the elaborate con spun by a dodgy character who, thought he was a modern-day Casanova, but really just ended up being a pitiful fraudster with a flair for theatrics!
The Setup
It all began in early 2021 when our resident Romeo—a sixty-one-year-old gentleman from Rome—decided that the best way to woo a woman was not through serenades under her window, but via Facebook messaging. Because nothing says “I’m trustworthy” quite like a username with numbers trailing behind it! He ‘courted’ a lovely 78-year-old from Civitanova, and after a whirlwind romance of flirty WhatsApp texts and blaring phone calls, they had their first in-person rendezvous. Fancy that!
The Fraudulent Tale
As summer warmed the hearts of many, our protagonist decided it was high time to ramp up his game. He introduced a rather dramatic twist involving a fictitious grandson suffering from leukemia—yes, folks, he really went for the tear-jerker! That’s right, you can’t make this stuff up—except he did, and very well, I might add. A quick phone call from “his son” told him that the little tyke needed to be rushed to a hospital, and voilà, our unsuspecting heroine was hooked.
Raining Money
What ensued was a tragicomedy of generosity, where our unsuspecting lady handed over nearly €10,000 to this flamboyant charlatan all in the name of love and compassion. Daily deposits to a PostePay card, cash deliveries handed over like a Netflix subscription—each encounter thick with the perfume of romance and deceit. I mean, how did he not get a standing ovation for this performance? But alas, one too many hospital admissions and a bout of ‘accidental’ messages later, the lady finally put two and two together. Spoiler alert: it didn’t add up!
A Beautiful Betrayal
Witnessing this tale of woe, you can’t help but admire the sheer audacity of the fellow. After charming the socks off this elderly woman, he pulled a practical joker’s exit—vanishing before the trial could even kick off! Truly, the man has commitment issues, albeit with a court date. The judge, Vittoria Lupi, has ruled to pause the proceedings until he’s brought to justice. I mean, it shouldn’t be that hard to find him, right? You’d think any man who covets €10,000 in borrowed cash would eventually need to buy a sandwich or something decent!
The Lesson
This cautionary tale is but a whisper in the wind to anyone thinking online romances are all rainbows and butterflies. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is—unless it’s Jimmy Carr cracking jokes about finances, then it’s just pure gold! Let’s all take a moment to salute the resilient spirit of our dear lady from Civitanova, who, while perhaps a little poorer in pocket, is now a lot richer in wisdom. So the next time someone slides into your DMs with a sad story, remember: love may be blind, but it doesn’t have to be blindfolded and led to the bank!
Civitanova, 29 October 2024 – A 61-year-old man from Rome orchestrated an elaborate scheme after reaching out to a 78-year-old woman via Facebook, engaging her in romantic conversations that eventually blossomed into a deceptive relationship. Under the pretense of having a son receiving redundancy pay and a grandson needing urgent medical attention due to leukemia, he successfully manipulated the woman into giving him approximately 10,000 euros. This fraudulent behavior has led to legal action against him, as he now faces serious charges in a court of law.
The complex relationship began in the early months of 2021 when, according to the allegations put forth by prosecutor Rocco Dragonetti, the man initiated contact with the woman. Their connection deepened through a flurry of WhatsApp messages and phone calls, creating a façade of intimacy. He posed as a grief-stricken widower, claiming to be a retired financier longing for companionship.
By July, the two met in person, and the woman welcomed him into her home, believing in his fabricated story and emotional charm. However, in August, while staying with her, he received a phone call from his supposed son, who stressed the urgency of admitting his grandson to the Bambin Gesù hospital due to a serious leukemia diagnosis, followed by a transfer to a facility in Turin for specialized care.
This prompted the man to persuade the woman to lend him money to assist his family in crisis. She complied, transferring funds almost daily onto a PostePay card registered in the name of his son, as well as delivering cash in person, contributing a few hundred euros each time. Over a short period, the total sum amassed to around 10,000 euros. The woman genuinely believed she was extending help to someone in desperate need, all while being showered with sweet words and compliments.
