Some are happy with little, even 150 euros, while others go much further, carrying out scams involving monstrous sums, even 100,000 euros.
From vacation rentals to property purchases and rentals, real estate scams targeting or perpetrating Sardinians are increasing exponentially . And as the peak tourist season approaches, police checks are intensifying.
Scammers are increasingly sophisticated in their methods, operating primarily online, on specialized portals, or on social networks. Several people have been reported to the Carabinieri, and numerous scam methods have been employed.
In San Gavino, a victim, lured by the offer of a vacation home in a seaside resort in the Oristano area, paid a €900 deposit to two scammers , who then vanished into thin air. A man from Marcalagonis fell victim to the same scam, paying €1,299 through a specialized web portal to rent a nonexistent apartment in Rome . A person from Medio Campidano, after making an instant €760 bank transfer to secure a rental apartment in Florence, discovered that the property advertised on social media didn't exist . Then there's the case of a resident of Sarrabus, who paid a €150 deposit to spend a week in Northern Sardinia, in a nonexistent home.
You also need to be careful when posting online ads to find accommodation. It's increasingly common to be approached by fake landlords. One victim, a resident of Gonnosfanadiga, was contacted by a fake landlord after placing her ad and convinced her to make three bank transfers totaling €400. The money ended up in a Roman man's gambling account and disappeared within seconds.
And not just online. In Sant'Antioco, for example, a fake real estate agent is lurking who tricked a victim into paying a €2,000 deposit for the purchase of a property. The scammer, however, was not a real estate agent and had not received a mandate from the apartment's owners .
Four people were charged with a much more complex scam involving as much as €100,000: by pretending to be members of the Cagliari Courthouse and falsifying official documents, they orchestrated a non-existent judicial auction and induced the victim to pay the large sum to purchase a prestigious home in a renowned neighborhood of the capital.
The Carabinieri offer five tips to avoid falling for these scams : be wary of urgent matters and excessively advantageous, off-market prices; use traceable payment channels, so no prepaid card top-ups, instant transfers to unverified accounts, or payments to unusual platforms like gaming accounts; if searching through official platforms, never move the conversation or transaction outside the site's messaging and security system; verify the property's existence and the landlord's identity, including conducting an on-site inspection if possible, and rely on properly registered agencies; if you have any suspicions, keep all records of conversations, listings, and payment receipts.
(Unioneonline/L)