A 56-year-old Italian man from the town of Borgo Virgilio in northern Italy was arrested in early November on suspicion of serious fraud, after he posed as his deceased mother for about two years in order to continue collecting her pension.
According to a statement from the local police, the man concealed his mother's body, who died in 2022, instead of burying her, and began impersonating her. He used a hairstyle, a wig, jewelry, makeup and even lipstick and nail polish, and made a point of appearing at local government offices in her guise.
The case came to light after the man visited the local Interior Ministry offices in Mantua in early November and requested to renew his mother's identity card. One staff member became suspicious of the "woman" sitting before him and alerted the police, and after a short investigation it emerged that it was a man who had been impersonating his mother for nearly two years.
During a search of the man's home, officers found the mother's body hidden inside the laundry room. He is now expected to face prosecution for serious fraud.
Borgo Virgilio Mayor Francesco Aporti commented on the case and told Corriere della Sera, "The man entered the municipal offices dressed as an elderly woman. He wore lipstick, nail polish, jewelry and old-fashioned earrings, and had short dark-brown hair. He tried to mimic a female voice, but from time to time some male notes slipped through."