A 56-year-old man from Borgo Virgilio, Italy, has been arrested after using his deceased mother's identity to continue collecting her pension. For over three years, he allegedly devised an astonishing and macabre scheme to fraudulently obtain the deceased woman's benefits. After his mother's death in 2022, he never reported it to the authorities and kept her body in a room in his home.

To maintain the deception, the suspect regularly disguised himself as his mother, using a wig, makeup, women's clothing, and accessories, even going so far as to imitate the gait and voice of an elderly woman. This subterfuge allegedly allowed him to pocket nearly €60,000 in welfare benefits. However, the plan went awry when he went to the town hall to renew the deceased woman's identity card. Officials immediately noticed inconsistencies between his appearance and that of an elderly person, arousing suspicion and leading to an investigation.

During a search of the 50-year-old man's home, law enforcement discovered the mummified body of his mother, carefully concealed. The man reportedly explained that he hadn't had the strength to report her death and that he was experiencing financial difficulties. He now faces multiple charges, including welfare fraud, identity theft, forgery and use of forged documents, and concealment of a corpse.

This case, which has caused a great deal of public outrage, highlights a fraud of exceptional scale, involving deception, desperation, and manipulation. The authorities are continuing their investigations to precisely assess the extent of the financial losses and determine whether other offenses may be involved.