5 Tourist Traps / SCAMS in ROME, ITALY 

Good advice. Buy responding you provide them with a good indication of your nationality and temperament. When you demonstrate that you are polite you provide scammers with the knowledge that you do not want to be rude. Some scammers will exploit this by creating situations where you will have to be rude to get rid of them. Remember that these characters do this for a living and will have prepared a selection of clever answers designed to keep you engaged while at the same time searching for your vulnerabilities.

That's degenerate

William Power YUP!!!

Absolutely true!!

That's exactly what I did and it worked, nobody bothered me again 😂👍I just said yes or yeah and moved on ... Best thing is to not stop and talk, keep on moving 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️

Exactly what I did. I pretty much said fcuk off and was very impolite and they backed off very quickly.

Don't say anything to them at all. Just keep walking without acknowledging their existence.

Good advice.

I just tell them to fuck off.

@trek2space Anything is possible but it didn't even come close to angry words in my case. They just went on to their next target.

Thank you for the words, Maurizio. But it's very understandable as most beautiful and touristic cities have this problem. London, Paris, New York... There are many many MANY good things about Rome that make the bad ones quickly forgettable 😁

They do not ruin anything. I live close to Washington DC and we have the same people who try to take advantage of visitors! I think its any big city that has a lot of visitors. People just need to be street-smart! If you're a tourist travelling to any country, anywhere in the world you should do your research and know what to look out for.

@@hellonickitravels187 it's basically aggressive begging and the cops should police this, that's why I satay away from tourist rip off traps like Paris, Cairo and Rome..it attracts North African scam artists..

Sydney does not have this problem.. it’s only got bums begging for money and everyone in Sydney is a tightass

Hi Maurizio I will be visiting Rome in November. Mid November to be exact how’s the weather like :) ?

oh yes...i went to small cafe every morning and had the best 'cafe latte' (don't say latte in Italy if you really want coffee...it's possible that they really think you want milk, or they do this, i.e. give you milk if you ask for latte, to teach stoopid foreigners that 'latte' is italian for 'milk', not 'coffee with milk') for 1.20€ - i guess it was so expensive because of vicinity of circus maxumus and aventinus hill and such. or maybe it was just exceptionally good. it was. :)

@@p1rgit if you ask for milk you get milk, pretty obvious 🤷‍♂️

We went to same cafe in Florence with my friend, every morning. We ordered coffe and same pastry daily and didn't mind overpaying a bit - it was 8 or so euroe for 2. Since it was winter we sat inside on one of two tables available there. One morning I was crying, I felt it was impolite to sit inside in front of counter and sob. We sat outside even though it was winter. He came out and asked if we'd like the same order...we told him to bring what we have every morning. I couldn't speak because I was crying. When he gave us bill it was around 15 euros....we were shoked because we asked for the same order. He coldly answered that it is because we sat outside. The entire Cafe was empty and he could see that we sat here because of special situation. Even after we told him that we didn't know and we didn't expect to spend so much on coffee - he insisted to get this much. It's so different from India, where even in simple places they would try to give you smthing extra for free or Russia, where owner of Cafe would even give complementary coffe since you have become friendly or if they know it's your last visit here and they just want to be nice to you. I remember in Turkey I ordered tea and owner of the shop kept on sending complementary sweets. Even though I didn't want to eat sugar, they insisted that it's free and refused to get payment for them.....in Italy it feels like anyone is trying to pull out a bit extra from you no matter how poor or rich they are.

Gypsy bait

OMG YESSS GURL

Ur AMAZING

Brilliant idea!! 😊

setmedic ... Why even walk around Rome with fish hooks in you backpack?! Stay at home and watch Rome or any other place on TV. The world is full of problems. Venturing out of one's pond may not be a pleasant experience for anyone. Reality check!

The same has happened to me yesterday. But unfortunately for him i just had a fight with my boyfriend and he just took off after giving him my angry stare😠 and said no! My boyfriend saw it and laugh his lungs out to the poor guy. (I somehow feel bad for him but was also i had of fun.😁) they asked 2Euros once you get the bird food bait btw.

Literally the same thing happened to me when I was in Venice...

😂😂

😂😂🤣🤣

Put something in his hand that starts with the letter s .

Also keep moving and don’t give eyecontact

Yes, that also happened to us but by then we were smart enough to just ignore the 'free advice' they seemed to give.

Thank you for the advice

Travelled all through Italy never had any problems..be aware of your surroundings....no different than living in your own city back home

No different than any major city. Don’t be a puss

So true. They do work in a group and each one has a specific job.

Oh dang, your ovaries must be made out of bronze to walk away with their flower. If it were me, I would put the flowers down and walked away.

Good one! lol

Ill give you a garden without paying anything at all...

Walked away w my flower 😭

Well if they wouldn’t take it back you did the right thing. And I heard it at least they don’t give you receipt they’re doing something illegal.

Well done

Well done! I am Italian and those places charge extra for tourists, because they know you won't be asking for receipts. In Italy it is illegal to buy anything without having a receipt and you should ask for it if they don't issue one for you. It just means they won't be paying taxes on that already overpriced Coke of 9Euros.

@Yazzie Mazzi No you're being ripped off so hard it'll still hurt by the time it's Christmas xD Italy is a pretty average EU country in prices, good food will cost ya, but that's everywhere.

@Yazzie Mazzi The vendor was just trying to see how much he could extract from a foreign tourist. I walked a couple of hundred meters downhill away from the Vatican entrance toward the Flower Markets and found a shop that sold a cold can of Peroni beer for less than 2 Euros. The fellow in the shop was polite and friendly and prices were marked.

Yea right...

I am so curious how to say that now XD

wait how do u say that

I think it’s “vai via” for go away, polite ish (ie not cursing, but strong enough)

I was so tired of the haggling that I bought a paper pad and pretended I was asking for s petition support. Everybody stayed away from me.

@@valerius8985 say: tene ai a fa n gul... they will assume you are from neapels

Hannah DeBruin Same like 2 weeks ago

That scumbag!

Obviously a regular there.. just wondering how he's remained around there to scam yet more people. Police?

He is still around. Last week in Fiumicino

I found the same. They should deport everyone illegally in the country

What if he actually lost him and his phone didn't have battery 😅

@@anradies7836 tough

@@anradies7836 that happened to me recently as a Roman citizen, I entered a store and asked to use their phone, I wouldn't go about asking for someone's phone on the street, and certainly not to a foreigner, as it would have looked like a scam to them

@@anradies7836 If you handed your phone to him he will probably run off with it then pass it to a nearby accomplice.

Doesn't sound like a very good vacation I think I'll give somebody else my money

That could be a legitimate mistake...

Yes they do that. They think they are so smart and you dont get it

100%. Experienced. Cheaters everywhere.

That happens in London, Paris and Berlin too

South Africa too

Ok italian racist go back to your white power rally

They wouldn;t have to apologize so much if they would elect MPs who aren't afraid to do sonething about it.

Hey are you still in roam Italy ?

Yell "Ladro" it's Italian for thief

lol

Shouting "I don't want your Marijuana" seems to make them disappear too.

actually if you yell "how much for cocaine" they will disperse much faster! @@tomjeffersonwasright2288

I would scream AIYO THIS GUY GOT THE BEST WEED IN TOWN

Did it ruin your holiday at all

For sure. No eye contact. Just keep walking. All they need is ONE SECOND to grab you and hook you in. Do not answer, do not even slow down. Usually I don't even feel sorry for the people who do get scammed and then they blame it on the city. So many people do zero research when they plan to travel, and that research includes how to protect yourself, how to get a ride from a legitimate taxi, which restaurants are rated high among locals and tourists. I can't count how many times I've read that people just like to go with the flow. Well, get ready to watch your money "flow" out of your wallet!

Lotta Italy have scammers like all countries they are not angels so don't lie

Thank you for the advice! I heard about the pickpocketing issue in Rome. Fortunately, it never happened to me. I was always cautious.

@Mahybomba1 Bomba, Lotta does never says that Italy don't have scammers. ;-)

Ah yes, the Romanian gypsies. They're pretty much everywhere in Europe and are famous for the same wrong reasons.

Yeah we got the Romanian gippos on the underground in London also. They're good at it though lol

Bethany Howe spot on. Frustrating

Bethany Howe... I found the same thing in Chicago. A lot of beggars! A lot! One can not even park anywhere without receiving an unfair ticket that follows the person home for ever. Insane!

Beggars and conmen/hustlers are mostly different people. Many beggars are genuine. The hustlers are not. Beggars usually come up to people because no-one is helping them when they beg from the street. And you should be as polite to them as you would to anyone else. Hustlers can be distinguished by their 'enthusiasm' or upbeat greetings. And also that theyll often give you something, or act friendly, before pressuring you. Most genuine beggars are far too demoralised to put on an act after every previous rejection and the desperation they live with.

Actually one of these guys near the Colosseum (just after exiting Palatine hills) was selling water for 1 euro, but he was sitting in his OWN place and did not follow or harrass you. That seemed correct and we bought the water, was well worth the price in the hot. That said, the other 99.9% were really aggressive and annoying.

@@FuckFeminists you are so naive. beggars are usually mafia. and this "desperation" is an act. and they probably make more money/daily compared to you

lol

They are not even italian. They are from east europe

Me too 😳 he also spoke offensive comments about my body (sexually) in Italian (what by the way I kind understand)

@@IsabellaCoelho they are not italian they come from east europe.

Did you think those mofos would be there for just one day and never come back? Can you imagine how many fools they scam every day? If it weren't worth it, they'd try something else for a living but, as the saying reads, there's a sucker born every second.

What a terrible scam

Same 😂😂😂

Anne Meerkerk all brown people don't look alike gels.

@@rexiioper6920 believe me, a brown men with a bright red beard. You'll remember that 😂

Anne Meerkerk it's a v common look amongst Muslims.

Thank you for sharing your experience, I completely agree with you!

I'm Asian. This doesn't work for me 😆

@@alishanightshade3270 There are Asian Scotts XD

Grazie mille! Your comment really means a lot, thank youuu!!

I visited Rome when I was 16 and was felt up on the metro by a really old dude. I don't know if he was a pervert or a pickpocket or both. It's so messed up.

@@mandiekellett9597 Yes! I believe you. I have had my skirt almost pulled off me by a bunch of young boys. Boys have spit water on my friend and I. It’s really not like that now. I guess it’s just not tolerated anymore. Luckily, my friend had a huge, mean Schnauzer that we were happy to walk around Rome. She was the biggest Schnauzer I’d ever seen. No one bothered us while walking her. She wore a muzzle in the supermarkets but when on the streets the muzzle came off.

Hope they traced the note back to the restaurant for you, but more than likely someone had stuck them with it earlier.. I assume if you were at the train station, you were enroute home and not likely to follow it up.

That's why you break the notes as soon as you can so if you get a fake bill, it's nothing bigger than 20

Marty A thats why credit cards exist

@Diego87 what?

@@normiukkeli3739 no, that's why you don't use 100€ notes. where did you get it anyway? bc cash automat, ATM only gives you 50€ notes and smaller. safest is to take maximum summa minus 5 or 10, like, 495, depends what is the smallest note available in the machine. or play totally safe and take 45€. card scams are also big in Rome - my friend got her money stolen from bank account after her card got copied in some restaurant. they can do it even if you keep your eyes on your card all the time. advisable, if you do not deal with cash, is to have esp account with just enough money for the trip and card for that. if you have your other card, keep it safe and separate.

Thank you for your feedback, Ernest. I appreciate it a lot! I just uploaded part 2 expanding on some of the lesser-known tourist traps too. But you're right about restaurants and hotels adding extra charges. I've found this practice to be very common around major European cities, sadly...

I totally agree with you.

Yes and no. Sometimes locals will still go to SOME of those places (Sometimes just cos they wanna be seen 🙄 but SOMETIMES some of those places are actually good - here in Oz anyway - I can think of a couple of examples I've met friends for years). But yeah, away from the tourist track is usually best. Not sure about other countries but here in Oz we tend to have certain suburbs that are kinda gastronomic centres and if you're going out to dinner this is probably where you'll go

Those are common around the world tho,not oly in Italy. Never trust them.

Usually these mini van are cheaper than the train and can take less time if you are not going to Ostiense or Termini. Anyway, I advise to take the regular taxi, the white one, and share the fare with other passengers.

I had the same experience and when in termini took taxi to vatican guy ask for 50 euro. But now I know have to be really aware.

Never trust people that look like the guy that sold you that ticket and you'll be alright.

Did he tell you that his brother was the Pope so you could trust him?

I am sorry you had to go through that! I hate when people do things by force too... But thank you for the comment!

Headed to Roma in 1 week! While I'm so excited, I definitely don't wanna feel ambushed! #yikes! Staying in Civita, but arriving a day before my family. Is it best to stay in an Air BnB for 1 nite or a Hotel? #budgettraveler

Thank you good sir! I use the Fuji XT20!

I worked for a charity for several years and when I am approached by someone who 'has not eaten' approaches me here in Sydney I offer to take them to a charity run soup kitchen where they will receive food. In all cases the individuals obviously want money as none accepted my offer to go to the nearby soup kitchen.

I live in London and this happened to me in London!!! The number of homeless people coming up to you asking you for money is crazy, I tend to get 4 to 5 a day.

this is so interesting because where i live in the states it is like. (as far as im concerned) extremely safe to give homeless people money. like at least in my hometown i dont really think twice about opening my wallet, but i guess it must be more the issue of us being foreigners that creates the uncomforatble situation, rather than simply being the person giving some money

That's a shame. Couldn't be me. I wouldn't have felt bad at all. 🙄😤

Recommend Treviso, Viterbo, Orvieto, Siena, Bologna... Rome has some nice places, like Aventinus hill. naturally, avoid Colosseum. go to St Peter early morning, or avoid.

Bummer. Always use a bank ATM--and one that has a machine INSIDE the bank, not on the oustide.

@Dan They put entire false fronts on ATM's now. They fit perfectly over the old front and are made to look exactly like the machine they are covering, the bank logo and all. The only way to tell now is there's an unusually deep gap between the screen and the cover. Most people aren't astute enough to recognize that as a lot of screens are recessed to keep people from looking over your shoulder. There are no parts now to wiggle and see if they are loose. The only way to avoid those spoofed machines is to use the ones that are inside a bank secure lobby. Never use an ATM in a major transportation center like an airport or train station, or one that's on the street or pub.

rob u Didn't you always know that. Eat where the locals eat. It even applies in your home town depending on the amount of ethnic eateries you have. It can work the other way. I knew a noodle bar which was entirely used by the local chinese community for years then non chinese thought mmmm!! Always eat where the locals eat ay? must go in there. Within 6 months it was totally non chinese the Chinese moved to another restaurant lol. Which was fine for the owner but not the locals.

@@dinocarlucci2105 yeah but I didn't even know where the locals ate. I accidentally found that little local spot. This was back in 2002 (pre yelp and smart phones) when i was 23 and it was my first trip to Europe. The food in Eiffel tower was good as well as most places in Barcelona. What I did learn: in Italy, Do Not eat near a tourist attraction!!

Thank you, I appreciate your kind words!

your awsome this... what? :) it's confusing, folks. if 'you are' or 'you're' is too posh, then 'you awsome', or 'yer' or 'ur'. much better and less confusing.

It’s best not to give aggressive people any money than that leads them to use the same strategy on other people that may be even more taken advantage of.

nice tip

I'm from Barcelona and I've only seen this once or twice (because us locals don't go there) on La Rambla - Bangladeshi/Pakistani waiters - sorry, not trying to be offensive, but it is what it is - trying to lure you into sitting down at the terrace of their shitty restaurant where you'll pay extortionate prices for horrible microwaved food. Locals stay well away and we don't encounter any such issues.

Seriously. I would just say no, and if they ask again, f@ck no!

I wouldn’t even say no. Or make eye iContact I would just keep walking.

I used that tactic in Paris and it worked instantly every time. I also added a look away in disgust as I waggled my finger