{"id":728,"date":"2011-05-15T14:07:59","date_gmt":"2011-05-15T14:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=728"},"modified":"2011-08-01T21:06:06","modified_gmt":"2011-08-01T21:06:06","slug":"ti-fregano-anche-da-morto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/ti-fregano-anche-da-morto\/","title":{"rendered":"Ti fregano anche da morto"},"content":{"rendered":"

It never ceases to amaze me the variety of ways in which i furbi riescono a fregare la gente<\/strong> (cunning people manage to rip folk off). Here is a little story about a fregatura<\/strong> (scam) that I read in the newspaper Il Secolo XIX<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Tangenti sui morti, tre arresti<\/strong> – Bribes for the dead, three arrests<\/p>\n

This particular scam was based at l’obitorio di Sarzana<\/strong> (the Sarzana morgue) near La Spezia in Liguria. The ‘associates in crime’ were a group of employees working for Azienda Sanitaria Locale (ASL) all’Ospedale di Sarzana<\/strong> (local health care at Sarzana Hospital) comprising necrofori<\/strong> (morgue workers) and infermieri<\/strong> (nurses). Here’s how it worked:\u00a0<\/p>\n

As soon as a body arrived in the morgue, the necrofori<\/strong> would contact a ‘friend’ at one of the local onoranze funebri<\/strong> (funeral companies) offering to recommend to the relatives of the caro estinto<\/strong> (dearly departed) that they use their funeral services. In exchange for this ‘favor’ they would expect to receive una tangente<\/strong> (a bribe) of between 200 to 500 Euros. They even occasionally took payment in cocaine.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile back at the morgue they would butter up the distraught relatives by telling them that they knew of a certain onoranze funebri<\/strong> who happened to be friends of theirs and who would carry out the funerale<\/strong> (funeral) for a very reasonable sum.<\/p>\n

In some cases infermieri<\/strong> (nurses) working for the hospital would inform the necrofori<\/strong> of the impending death of a patient so that the whole process could begin even earlier. A number of local funeral directors were complicit in the crime, and in fact it became difficult for the honest ones who didn’t ‘subscribe’ to the scam to get enough work.<\/p>\n

Here is an excerpt taken from the article:<\/p>\n

NOMI IN CODICE “CAFF\u00c8” E “CAMPARI” <\/strong>– Names In Code “Coffee” and “Campari”<\/p>\n

Per indicare che una persona era morta, e che i parenti erano all’obitorio, gli informatori avevano un codice preciso: parlavano di un “caff\u00e8”, di un “aperitivo”, o di “una macchina in panne”. <\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to indicate that a person was dead, and that the relatives were at the morgue, the informers had a precise code: they spoke of a “coffee”, an “aperitif” , or of “a broken down car”.<\/p>\n

Erano scuse, giri di parole, con un preciso messaggio convenzionale: avvisavano l’impresario funebre che era il momento di scattare e presentarsi all’obitorio, per convincere i familiari a firmare il contratto funebre.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They were excuses, a play on words with a clear pre-agreed message: they advised the funeral directors that it was time to set off and present themselves at the morgue, and to convince the relatives to sign a funeral contract.<\/p>\n

La mattina, il messaggio era quello del caff\u00e8; nelle ore successive, l’aperitivo. “Se c’\u00e8 da prendere un morto – spiega un impresario ad una nuova recluta – mi devi dire questo: vieni a prenderti un caff\u00e8? E se \u00e8 pi\u00f9 tardi: andiamo a prenderci sto Campari?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the morning, the message was “caff\u00e8<\/strong>“; in the following hours, “l’aperitivo<\/strong>“. “If there’s a body to get hold of – explaines a funeral manager to a new recruit – you have to say this to me: are you coming for a coffee?\u00a0 If it’s later: shall we go and have that Campari?”<\/p>\n

Il codice funzionava bene: si parlava di uno, due, tre caff\u00e8, a seconda dei morti da piazzare. Oppure, si faceva la soffiata invitando l’impresario ad “andare su che c’\u00e8 da far partire una macchina”. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The code worked well: one, two, or three coffees where mentioned depending on the amount of bodies to ‘place’. At other times the tip was given by inviting the funeral director to “go up because there’s a car to get started”.<\/p>\n

Gli informatori tenevano in allerta gi\u00e0 dalle fasi dell’agonia, per poi avvisare in tempo reale sui decessi: facevano una vera e propria pubblicit\u00e0 presso i parenti dei defunti, contando su una bella ricompensa.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The informants were already prepared when a patient was about to die, and updated in real time on the deaths. They did a really good publicity job on the relatives of the deceased, counting on a generous reward.<\/p>\n

Oltre ai soldi girava anche un mare di coca, fra i membri della confraternita: un vai e vieni di “tiri” e di “righe da sniffare” anche in pieno giorno, e sul posto di lavoro.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Other than the money a large quantity of cocaine was circulated amongst the members of the ‘brotherhood’: a coming and going of “pulls” and “lines to sniff” even in broad daylight and in the workplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It never ceases to amaze me the variety of ways in which i furbi riescono a fregare la gente (cunning people manage to rip folk off). Here is a little story about a fregatura (scam) that I read in the newspaper Il Secolo XIX: Tangenti sui morti, tre arresti – Bribes for the dead, three…<\/p>\n

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