Cesena, August 7, 2026 – There are interesting developments in the case of scams targeting tourists who booked holidays in residences in Cesenatico and Milano Marittima, but found themselves facing ghost accommodation facilities. A large number of Italian and foreign families, attracted by particularly favorable prices, almost too good to be true, for the August period, had booked through Booking. Since last week it had emerged that something was not right in these offers, then the case exploded when families realized the scam, however, the responsibilities began to shift between the cunning way the criminal organization operated, the naivety of those who believe they are buying a holiday in August for a family for a few hundred euros, and the embarrassing situation of a platform that moves billions globally but is found to be fragile and circumventable.
Codacons: “Booking must be held accountable for the damages caused to tourists”
In this regard, Codacons has filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Forlì-Cesena, requesting to ascertain all responsibilities in the matter, including those of the Booking.com platform. “From the news that has emerged in recent hours – writes the consumer protection association – it appears that hundreds of Italian and foreign citizens have fallen into the trap of fake ads published on the Booking.com site promoting accommodation facilities in Cesenatico and Milano Marittima, which in reality do not exist. This is a scam carried out by unscrupulous criminals, but through the mediation of the booking-specialized platform, which must now be held accountable for the damages caused to tourists.”
“An investigation should also be opened on Booking.com”
In the Codacons complaint, which hypothesizes several crimes, including aggravated fraud, computer fraud, unauthorized access to computer systems, material falsification, and ideological falsification, the judiciary is asked to open a specific investigation also against the Booking.com site, verifying any responsibilities of the platform regarding omitted controls and possible complicity in the crimes that will be identified by the Prosecutor’s Office. To protect against scams, Codacons has created a specific guide with all the advice to follow to avoid falling into the trap, which is available to everyone online, emphasizing that the first step is to be wary of ads offering holidays at excessively low prices.
The mayor of Cesenatico has joined as a civil party
On the subject, yesterday the mayor Matteo Gozzoli of Cesenatico intervened, who had himself filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, to join as a civil party to protect the interests of the city: “The major online booking platforms are very useful tools for our tourism, but the recent events have shown how even giants of this kind can be deceived by well-organized scammers. In this case, the platform became a sounding board for a bad story, acting as a fake quality mark for many looking for accommodation in August in Cesenatico.” Meanwhile, the good news is that no other families of scammed tourists have come forward.
