Cesenatico, August 9, 2026 – The circle tightens around the investigators targeting the perpetrators of the ghost residence scam in Cesenatico and Milano Marittima in which at least 125 tourist families fell victim. They are said to be people residing in Romagna. The criminal organization was particularly cunning, as it used a building where there is indeed an apartment for sale and where the Cin code of a short-term rental property is displayed, however the great media uproar had the effect of further concentrating law enforcement forces, with the Carabinieri of the Cesenatico Company and the Postal Police working at a fast pace to bring to justice the criminals hiding behind the name Andrea Angelini who invented on the web the Residence Angelini and Residence Da Andrea, collecting deposits and in some cases even the full amount for vacations that no one will ever take. The authors of the serial scams are Italian and the focus is on people residing in the area and in the province of Rimini.
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Cesenatico’s response to the unfortunate event
In the unfortunate case of the ghost residences that caused problems and serious hardships to 125 families, the good news is the response of the city of Cesenatico and its tourism operators, which made it possible to help the deceived people find last-minute accommodation, thus saving their holidays. Mayor Matteo Gozzoli since the case broke out a week ago, said that no one would be left on the street.
All deceived people who turned to the Tourism Office were helped
From the Iat office on Viale Roma, yesterday came the confirmation that all the deceived people who turned to the Tourism Palace were helped to find other accommodations within their budget, thanks to the availability of the Adac Federalberghi hoteliers to provide concrete help. Not only that, there are also those, like the Martinetti family, owners of Cesenatico Camping Village, who made mobile homes available free of charge, without asking for a euro. The large village hosted a family from the province of Bologna, one from Brescia, one from Bergamo, and one originally from Ukraine.
An international case resolved positively
The latter represents an international case resolved positively precisely thanks to the heart of a Romagna entrepreneur who is very attached to his city. The one telling what is effectively a fairy tale, is the head of the family Anton Chanov, 34 years old, a Ukrainian citizen, who spent three years in the armed forces defending his country from the Russian invasion. Recently the family moved to Germany for work. “My wife Karina, our three children Arina, 9, Artiom, 7, and David, 1 year old – Anton Chanov recounts – now we live in Nuremberg, where we took the train and reached the Cesenatico station. We had booked accommodation in a residence from August 3 to 11, paying 850 euros on Booking. When we arrived in Cesenatico on the evening of August 2, we discovered that the residence did not exist and that we had been scammed.”
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“We were disheartened, the children were crying, we never expected such a blow”
Anton recounts those tense moments when he discovered the scam: «We were disheartened, the children were crying, we never expected such a blow. At one point a woman approached us, told us that no residence existed at that address, we didn’t know what to do or where to go. We went to the Iat Office and Mrs. Paola Bracci contacted the director of Cesenatico Camping Village».
Volunteers stepped in to help the family
Volunteers also stepped in to help the family. Anton, his wife, and their three children were assisted by Radio Soccorso Cesenatico-Protezione Civile, who loaded their luggage and accompanied the family to the village. “They gave us a mobile home with three bedrooms – continues the Ukrainian tourist -, and we are having a wonderful time. The children have fun, always play, go to the sea, to the pool; the two older ones Arina and Artiom have started swimming here. The entertainers are fantastic guys, the staff is always kind, we are having a splendid holiday.
The memory I will take home
The memory I will take home? The green and the sea, but also the fish and seafood dishes. It’s the first time we come to Cesenatico and next year we will be here on vacation again.” Terzo Martinetti, owner of Cesenatico Camping Village, is no stranger to these acts of solidarity: “Already before, on the occasion of the 2012 earthquake, we hosted the earthquake-affected families from Emilia and during the 2020 pandemic we hosted nurses and doctors on the front line. Now we have answered the call of the Municipality and the Iat, helping the city to reduce the negative effect of these scams.”
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