Pension fraud is pretty common in Italy, with dozens of people arrested every year for impersonating someone who has died to collect their pension. However, some people go to incredible lengths in order to keep up appearances and the money flowing in. Case in point, a 57-year-old unemployed male nurse who disguised himself as his deceased mother in order to renew her ID card and thus continue receiving her pension.

Investigators believe that Graziella Dall’Oglio died of natural causes at the age of 82, in the town of Borgo Virgilio, close to the city of Mantua. However, her son, whose name has not been revealed by the media, never declared her death, instead preserving her body in the family home and impersonating her for three years in order to continue receiving her pension.

For three years, no one asked any questions, and the woman’s son kept collecting his mother’s pension, but his plan came crashing down earlier this month, when he was forced to renew his mother’s expired ID card. Because in Italy, expired documentation owners need to renew it themselves, in person, there was no chance for the 57-year-old man but to disguise himself as an elderly woman and show up at the registry office.

Surveillance camera footage shows the suspect driving to the registry office – Graziella did not drive – and then making his way to the office building in women’s clothing. Like Robin Williams in Mrs Doubtfire, the 57-year-old man wore a wig, foundation, nail polish, women’s clothing, and jewelry, but despite his best efforts, he stood out like a sore thumb.

According to Italian media, it was the dark hair on the back of the neck, hands, and chin that first drew the attention of the registry office staff. After realizing that something was off, an employee called the authorities, and the pension fraudster was unmasked.

Upon searching the man’s house in Borgo Virgilio, police found Graziella Dall’Oglio’s mummified body hidden in a small closet and wrapped in two sleeping bags. It is believed that her son used his experience as a former nurse to extract the blood and bodily fluid from her body, to keep it from decomposing.

It is estimated that the man had an annual income of €53,000 (461,450) due to a combination of his mother’s pension payments and income from three family homes.

The 57-year old man now stands accused of pension fraud and concealing a dead body, among other charges.