Massimo Moratti, the former president of Inter Milan, has fallen victim to a sophisticated scam orchestrated by a group of expert fraudsters. The scammers, impersonating Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his staff, managed to deceive several high-profile individuals, including Moratti.
Reflecting on the incident, Moratti admitted, “These people are good, in the sense that it all seemed absolutely real. It can happen, of course, one doesn’t expect this kind of thing. But it happens to everyone…”
The scammers employed an elaborate ruse to extract hundreds of thousands of euros from prominent figures. In at least one instance, they used the following pretext: “There are Italian journalists kidnapped in Iran and Syria. It’s a top-secret matter. The State is asking for your help. We will return everything through the Bank of Italy.”
The Milan prosecutor’s office, led by Marcello Viola, has launched an investigation to identify both the perpetrators and the victims involved. Moratti, speaking about his experience, said, “They contacted me too. I’d prefer not to say more, let’s see how the investigation progresses. At the moment, I prefer to stay calm. I have filed a complaint, of course.”
When asked if he had transferred one million euros, Moratti responded cautiously, “It’s correct to say that I have filed a complaint. Let’s wait, and then I’ll be able to tell you more.”
The complaint is now in the hands of prosecutor Giovanni Tarzia, who is coordinating the investigation with the carabinieri. At least two more complaints are expected from other parts of Italy, while investigations are ongoing regarding other entrepreneurs who may have been contacted by the fraudsters.
Among the high-profile names potentially involved in this scam are Giorgio Armani, Patrizio Bertelli, Marco Tronchetti Provera, Diego Della Valle, and members of the Aleotti, Beretta, and Caltagirone families.
