More than 120 families have been defrauded after booking holidays at a residence in the Adriatic resort of Cesenatico that does not exist, according to local officials. The victims, who include Italian nationals and foreign tourists, arrived at an address on viale Pascoli to find only offices and private homes, not the holiday accommodation they had reserved through online platforms.

Matteo Gozzoli, the mayor of Cesenatico, described the operation as a meticulously planned criminal scheme. The fraudsters used a real building that contained a single registered short-let apartment, complete with an official identification number displayed outside, and combined this with photographs lifted from estate agency listings to construct a convincing online presence. They also activated telephone numbers registered to unwitting third parties.

The municipal administration has set up a reception centre and is working with the hoteliers’ association Adac Federalberghi to find alternative lodging. Alfonso Maini, the association’s president, said efforts were under way to help those affected still enjoy a holiday in the town. The mayor noted that roughly half the defrauded families had already been relocated, with a local camping village providing ten mobile homes and private businesses offering support.

Local officials have pointed to insufficient checks by booking platforms, with Mayor Gozzoli observing that the site used by many victims had failed to detect that the property’s registration code belonged to a different, legitimate structure. The investigation remains ongoing, and the full number of victims has not been independently confirmed by police.