An Italian scam operation that duped travelers of over half a million dollars was dismantled in a joint operation between the United States Secret Service and Italy’s national police force, the Polizia di Stato, the agency said in an Aug. 13 statement.
The law enforcement agencies teamed up earlier this year to dismantle a scheme that targeted people booking vacation rentals in Rome via popular travel websites.
Malicious actors advertised five-star listings to tourists from the United States and other nations. Interested tourists were convinced by the fraudsters to make direct credit card payments, rather than through secure websites, according to the Secret Service….