Ravenna, August 5, 2026 – First reassurances, then the scam. And when the house of cards is already shaking, even sarcasm. “You are the twentieth person I have scammed this week.” On the other end of the phone, Paola D’Angelo recounts, there wasn’t even an attempt to deny it. On the contrary. The person presenting himself as the manager of the so-called “Residence Ferrino” in Milano Marittima cynically claimed the scam, adding another phrase destined to remain memorable: “Report it to whoever you want, your money is already in Lithuania”.
The tourist’s story
The tourist, from Milan, had organized a vacation in Romagna with her three children. “I have been coming here for years – she says – and I would never have imagined finding myself in such a situation.” The first contact dates back to July 14. The listing appeared on Booking, accompanied by a website detailed with images, descriptions, advice on beaches, and even suggestions on bathing establishments. “Everything seemed perfect. An Italian lady, very kind, replied to me. She sent me a well-made quote and asked for a 170 euro deposit.” However, there is one detail that today, in hindsight, takes on decisive importance.
The payment
“I had asked to pay with PayPal, but I was told it was not necessary”. In the end, the payment was made via Postepay Revolution. A method preferred by scammers because it allows them to receive money quickly without the greater protections offered by secure payment circuits. The suspicion became certainty on August 1.
The scam
On the web, reviews from other tourists began to appear talking about a non-existent property. Paola immediately called the indicated number. “The lady passed me to her son. When I told him I feared it was a scam, he started mocking me.” It was at that moment, the woman reports, that the shocking phrase came: “You are the twentieth person I have scammed this week.”
The conversation did not end there. Calling the woman back, Paola was met with a bitter consolation: “Romagnoli are hospitable.” As if to say that she would have found another accommodation somehow. But the vacation was already ruined. “We were already ready to leave. I had to go back and start all over again. But my thoughts especially go to those who cannot afford to pay for a second vacation.”
The reports
From that moment on, the reports began: to the Ravenna carabinieri, those of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, where she resides, and to the Postal Police. “They explained to me that the case was already known.” According to what the woman learned during the investigations, the culprits would have already been identified: it would be a mother and son. An investigation that could link Residence Ferrino in Milano Marittima to similar phantom properties that appeared this summer also in Cesenatico.
The tourist also recounts other disturbing details that emerged while talking with other victims. Phone numbers kept changing, victims’ numbers were redirected to mislead investigations, and even some bathing establishments found themselves involuntarily involved, receiving cancellations or calls from customers convinced they had a non-existent booking.
About a hundred families scammed
The Residence Ferrino website has meanwhile been shut down, but the WhatsApp number is still active. IBAN, bank account, and the host’s name match the name ‘Andrea Angelini’, used for another phantom residence in Cesenatico, where about a hundred families were scammed. And the summer’s toll remains very heavy: dozens of families from all over Italy, ruined holidays, thousands of euros vanished, and a long trail of reports.
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