Accommodation Scams in Cinque Terre

Fake Online Accommodation Listings

Cinque Terre's extreme accommodation scarcity — the five villages combined have very limited legal rental inventory — makes it a prime target for fake vacation rental listings on booking platforms and social media. Scammers post photos of genuinely attractive cliff-view apartments in Manarola or Riomaggiore, collect a deposit via bank transfer or payment app (citing "platform issues" or offering a discount for direct payment), and disappear before the traveler arrives. In some documented cases across Italy the listed property either does not exist or is already occupied by real guests.