Even the car rental sector, in a positive moment, has to face the phenomenon of those offering non-existent services via the web. Thus the trade association invites consumers to pay maximum attention
The fact that rental travel is great in our country can also be seen as yet another confirmation that Italians are increasingly less inclined to purchase a car of their own. But at the same time, it is good news for manufacturers and operators in a vibrant sector. The numbers, as always, are unequivocal and come from a recent analysis by Aniasa (National Association of the Car Rental Industry, sharing mobility And automotive digital)-Dataforce. Of the total registrations in 2025, rental reached 30.6% of the entire market with a total of approximately 525 thousand units, over 50 thousand more than in 2024 (+10.73%). A record in the last decade, with differences between the long-term one (essentially proposed with various formulas by the manufacturers and major specialized operators) and the short-term one. In the first case there was growth of 11.6% with the Fiat Panda eternal queen among the models, in the second of 19.25% with the surprise of first place in the Byd Seal U, Chinese car which in 2024 was not even in the rankings because it was experiencing the launch phase in Italy.
SCAM ON THE WEB
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Aniasa has the merit, in a moment bordering on euphoria, of having raised the alarm about a now widespread phenomenon: scams against customers by fake operators. In particular, there is an increase in fraud carried out by criminal organizations posing as car rental companies or intermediary car rental service agencies, collecting payments for non-existent services. The scam starts on the web, as with other sectors. Users looking for short-term car rental solutions are directed to fraudulent adverts: they are constructed using keywords very similar to those of official industry brands. After an initial telephone contact, the conversation is moved to WhatsApp, where fake operators send quotes and request advance payment of the entire rental, almost always accompanied by a security deposit. Payments are requested via bank transfer – most of the time to be made instantly – mostly to individuals while other times potential customers are invited to pay the fee at Tobacconist points by sending QR codes.
pay in complete safety
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The scam only emerges later: the customer no longer receives any replies or shows up at the rental company’s headquarters, obviously discovering that there is no booking in his name. Aniasa therefore invites you to follow some simple rules to avoid unpleasant surprises, focusing your attention on recognizing the authenticity of the contact. The official contacts of the car rental companies are exclusively those present on the companies’ institutional websites. In particular, email communications come only from addresses with an official company domain: the real operators of car rental companies only use telephone numbers visible on the sites and reservations are always formalized via official emails and never via WhatsApp, phone calls or other informal channels. Finally, particular attention must be paid in the case of broker channels and also in this case there is a series of signals to always keep in mind. Aniasa highlights that all car rental companies only use credit or debit cards indicated on their respective official websites. Ultimately, it is very likely that you are faced with a scam when you are asked to make or complete payments through private chats, WhatsApp or other messaging systems; to pay advances or deposits to personal accounts, prepaid cards or untraceable payment systems; to make bank transfers for prepaid reservations.
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