Italian man poses as deceased mother to collect pension

A 58-year-old man disguised himself as his deceased mother for years in order to continue receiving her pension in a town near Mantua, Italy.

The fraud was uncovered when a man, dressed as an elderly woman, went to the municipal office to request a new identity card in the name of his mother, who is now suspected to have died a long time ago, reports Corriere della Sera, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

The mayor of Borgo Virgilio, Francesco Aporti, described how the “eighty-five-year-old lady” arrived at the office walking slowly, complete with a skirt, makeup, wig, and jewelry.

But the details didn’t match: her neck was unusually strong, the skin on her hands did not look like that of an elderly woman, and small dimples on the chin were suspected to be showing through the heavy foundation.

The voice was feminine, but with occasional “cracks” that revealed a masculine tone.

Suspicions had already begun earlier, when an officer noticed a mismatch between the “lady’s” appearance and the data on record, as well as some unusual facial details.

Police then reviewed surveillance footage and discovered that the person had arrived by car even though the woman officially did not have a driver’s license.

Checks also showed that she had no recent activity in the health system, no contact with a doctor, and no social activity for years.

At the same time, her tax returns and property declarations continued to be submitted regularly.

When the municipality “called” the elderly woman again to complete the procedure, her son answered, promising that he would “find a way to bring her in.”

The man later appeared at the office again, still disguised. This time, however, he was met by the mayor and a plain-clothes police officer. After a short interview, he was taken to the local police station, where he finally confessed that he was the person in the photo ID and had been impersonating his mother.

During a police search of one of the rooms in his house, the decomposed body of a woman was found, believed to be his mother, Graziella Dall’Oglio.

Besides the pension, the family owned several properties and land, so the motive and wider circumstances of her death have not yet been determined.

Mayor Aporti added that the cause of the woman’s death will be determined by an autopsy.