Reports describe a scam in Naples in which offenders use news about tampered electronic identity cards to frighten victims — mainly older people — and impersonate Carabinieri.
According to Il Mattino, the reported script tells victims that their personal data were used to commit crimes and asks them to pay money to demonstrate their innocence. The Naples Provincial Carabinieri are now carrying out checks connected to these reports.
The reported checks
Il Mattino reports that three people presented electronic identity cards, known in Italy as CIEs, with the characteristic incision used to remove the microchip at the Carabinieri station in San Giuseppe, in Naples.
A separate check is reported in Rione Traiano: a 49-year-old man from Volla was reportedly stopped in via Orazio Coclite while carrying a tampered CIE.
The available sources do not establish how many people were targeted by the CIE-related scam, how many cases resulted in payments, or the municipalities where the allegedly stolen or tampered cards originated. The reported incidents at the San Giuseppe station are not independently confirmed in the available sources, and the article does not give a precise date for each incident or identify all suspects involved in the wider scam.
How the reported script works
The consistent element in the reports is impersonation: callers present themselves as Carabinieri and exploit fear about identity theft.
That pattern is documented more broadly. The Carabinieri describe scams involving fake law-enforcement officers who claim a relative has been arrested, injured or endangered and request money. Il Mattino previously reported a Naples-based operation in which alleged fake lawyers and Carabinieri contacted an elderly woman about a supposed road accident and demanded money.
The central point from official guidance is direct: the Carabinieri state that law-enforcement officers do not request money to assist citizens.
What to do with a damaged card
The Naples Provincial Carabinieri recommend not using or tampering with a damaged CIE and contacting the issuing municipal office.
That advice matches the normal procedure described by the Carabinieri: the electronic identity card is issued through the municipality of residence, and a duplicate after loss or theft requires a report to a Carabinieri station or another police office.
In practice, this gives readers two clear reference points grounded in official guidance. A damaged card is a matter for the municipal office that issued it, not something to fix, alter, or keep using. A lost or stolen card requires a formal report before a replacement can be issued.
What to do if you receive a suspicious call
The Naples Provincial Carabinieri recommend refusing requests for money or jewellery and calling the nearest Carabinieri station or 112 when suspicious contacts occur.
That guidance is consistent with the documented scam pattern: impersonators demand money while claiming an official role. A request for money in that context is itself the warning sign, because official assistance does not work that way.
Family members can help by making the procedure concrete in advance: agree that any unexpected call about identity data, crimes, or payments should be ended, followed by a direct call to the nearest Carabinieri station or 112, and that a damaged CIE should be taken to the issuing municipal office.
