An unemployed Italian man impersonated his dead mother and dressed up as her in a bid to collect thousands of euros every year from her pension, according to local reports.
The 56-year-old man, who has not been identified, carried out the scam after his 82-year-old mother, Graziella Dall'Oglio, died three years ago. The man didn't report her death to the authorities, as reported by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The Son Pocketed $61K Annually by Impersonating His Mother
He instead stuffed her corpse in a sleeping bag and stashed it in the laundry room at their home, the outlet reported. By the time authorities found Dall'Oglio, her body had mummified, according to the reports.
Although his mother had died, the man posed as her and continued to collect benefits on her behalf. He meticulously impersonated each detail of his mother down to her makeup and continued to pocket her pension. He was even able to renew her identity card at a government office on the outskirts of Mantua after her death, the outlet reported.
With his mother's pension and a property portfolio of three houses, the son was able to pocket roughly $61,000 annually, according to the newspaper.
A Government Employee Became Suspicious After Noticing the Man's Masculine Features
The man's ruse was exposed when a government employee became suspicious after noticing his apparently "masculine" features, including his low voice and "thick" neck, the outlet reported.
The employee alerted authorities, who compared photos of Dall'Oglio and her son and realized they had been scammed.The son allowed authorities to search his home, where they uncovered Dall'Oglio's body, though officials didn't suspect any foul play contributed to her death.
"She probably died of natural causes but that will be established by the postmortem. It is a very strange story and very, very sad," Francesco Aporti, the mayor of Borgo Virgilio, told the newspaper. An official autopsy has not concluded yet, according to the outlet.
The son is being investigated for illegally concealing a body and benefit fraud. It's not immediately clear if he was arrested.
