A new wave of scams is hitting the Neapolitan city, this time with a "old method“, the fake fines easily payable through IBAN.
The scam works because the citizen, not assuming the scam, pays immediately as the bank transfer is a fast and immediate method. This new deception has become so widespread these days that it even the Municipality of Naples had to intervene with an official note. Through reporting by the Administrative Sanctions Management Service, in fact, we became aware of the production of counterfeit fines by unknown people.
In many cases it is about mere photocopies in which the "offender” to proceed with the payment by bank transfer, these are the data of the false report:
IBAN MUNICIPALITY OF NAPLES – IT03W0760103400001033919109
How to recognize false fines
At a closer look it's already easy to notice how something doesn't square, in some cases it's even about photocopies, it is obvious to imagine that the Municipality of Naples will never proceed to issue reports by photocopies.
In other cases the fine is more realistic, but it is sufficient to analyze the payment methods: if there is only the iban then it is a scam as Minutes can always be paid in multiple ways, among them also via the IO app.
Remember the IBAN of false reports: IT03W0760103400001033919109
How does the scam work? The holder of the IBAN does not match and it is possible to trace it
It's actually not like that, the IBAN can be made out to a nominee, unfortunately it is a very common practice in scams. Money is given to a homeless person in exchange for his identity.
Furthermore, for some years the holder is no longer binding for payments by bank transfer, therefore even if the holder is incorrect, the transfer will proceed anyway.
Criticism of the Neapolitans: "a scam they could only invent in Naples". It's really like this?
Obviously not, there are many cases of false fines also issued in northern and central Italy, this time it is the usual prejudice that causes such harsh criticisms to be issued towards the Neapolitans, as if they themselves were not the first victims of the scam in question.
For example in the 2020 in Segrate, which is certainly not a municipality in Campania, fake fines were issued in a very similar way, the only difference being in the method of payment: by payment slip instead of bank transfer.
