Heading to Rome/Roma and not sure what to expect? Well here we go through some of the less nice parts of visitin the Eternal City. Here we go through the most popular tourist scams that tourists need to be aware of in Rome.
Filmed in Rome, Italy
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36 Comments
Watch out for the men with bracelets giving u 1 for a gift and then they ask for money
I don’t want to victim blame but for the life of me I cannot imagine putting a purse or backpack on the back of a chair while eating.
I've fallen for the "freebie" scams a couple of times. I've found it hard to get away from them. They get aggressive & persistent.
Italy is so dirty
Be careful when you are parking your car nearby lean tower in Pisa. There are some people who will try to help you finding some parking spot, and in the end, they will ask some money from you. Just walk away when they do that.
Modern day Sac of Rome. The italian government should round them up and deport them. The scammers are all employeed by a much bigger entity producing the “gadgets”. The need to follow the money and crack down in these cartels.
some train/ metro stations are impossinle to use. i.e istanbul
Thank you for telling us very bad people doing this kind of pick pocket not afraid this kind of work it’s horrible 😮
Thank you , Mark
Thank you.
You may want to update your data.
Nobody bothers with your phone anymore.
The petition scam is more France and Spain
Italy is the home of the mafia, except to be taken for all your money!!!!
I’m currently in Rome. One thing that happened to me is that at the Pantheon a black African man said to me “where are you from” I answered the US and he said he had a brother and sister from two different states. Then he gave me a bracelet for free and then asked me for money for it after I put it on. I actually handed it back to him and said I have no money. It shook me up. It was my first time I didn’t recognize at first that it was a scam but I did recognize as it went on. Today another black African guy can up to me and tried to do the same thing but I said I got to go and he walked away upset. Let me just say I have nothing against black African men. I’ve met plenty of black African men that are good decent people and I’m sure there are plenty more out there and it just happened that two different black African guys came up to me and were overly friendly. I share this to warn other people about the scam I encountered in Rome yesterday and today.
Please don’t let anyone other than trenitalia officials help you with the ticket machines at the station, they will rob you while you are at the machine. This didn’t happen to me but I saw it happen to an American before I could react
Rome doesn't sound very fun to me.
Are you saying my Adidos shoes and Beatos headphones are knock-offs?
I got pickpocketed at Rome Termini Metro, they follow you on the train then get off just before the doors close. Related to the giving you stuff then asking for money, different country I known but we were on the Desert Safari in the southern part of Tunisia and guys follow the camels and horse and carts on motorcycles one of these guys handed our daughter who was 5 at the time an open bottle of Fanta, when we said "no thanks" he came out with a tirade of slurs which would have been racist if I said them about him, we did manage to get rid of him with the help of the guy driving the cart, point is, yes this was Tunisia but you will come across these people anywhere in the world where there are tourists to exploit and in many cases they will target young children.
I encountered the mustard scam in Madrid back in 1992. Fortunately I followed my gut. I knew something wasn’t right when a person said they would wipe it off my backpack for me. Another person showed up too, and I told them both to bug off and leave me alone. I then was able to get away.
'Artists' selling watercolours as authentic when in fact they are prints 😮
thank you!
Ive been Rome twice, my advice is just have a great time, keep your valuables close, and dont let all this scare you, i was approached twice in my whole time, no conversation just keep walking away, you will love it !!
The photo thing I've heard your best option is IF you want them to pose, find out how much they are asking for first before you snap any photos. Now if it's just you casually shooting and they walk into your photo or pose on their own without you asking, then that's on them and I just walk away if they make a big deal about it. Actually ran into something similar in NYC but I got mad at the guy and told him I did NOT want him my photo, hence the reason I was waiting to take a picture of something (not a person) and he stormed off.
One tip I found about traveling and public transport is figure the stuff out before you even get to the country if you can. There are many videos on youtube that show you how to use the kiosks and which tickets to buy (And which not to) for almost all major tourist destinations, and that is "free" and you don't have to worry about being harassed, although you can subscribe to the person's channel i I guess as a means of thanking them for the effort, but they won't be standing there demanding you tip them. So use Google and Youtube to figure this stuff out before you go so when you get there, you know what trains to take and how to get your tickets. Otherwise, if you don't, find an employee of the public transport or train/bus system and ask them.
One scam I have seen in many countries is the taxi scam, where the driver may overcharge you or demand more money than you agreed to or something of that nature. I would only use a taxi if I didn't have any bags, because if you have a dispute with the driver, they could hold your bag in the trunk as ransom until you pay them the inflated price, hence the reason I won't use taxies unless I don't have a bag in the trunk at least, because it's easier to just get out and leave if you do'n't have a bag (in the trunk at least). But also negotiate your taxi fare before you even get in. That is number one. If you want to use a taxi I would use a reputable service though if you need to get from the airport to the city for example (although most major cities like Rome and Paris) have public transport that goes from the airport to the city or the main train station for which you can then get to the city.
Sorry to disappoint everyone, but I’m pretty sure we have better Italian food in America. I’m totally serious.
I’m a Black American and have been to Rome twice. When the Africans there see other Black tourists, they will approach in a friendly manner, “Hey brother!” They try to get close to show that you have the same skin color, and then try to engage you into some small talk, where they will either ask for money or try to sell you something. If you decline, some will try to guilt trip you into thinking that it’s your obligation to “help” them. Some will even try to give you one of their trinkets, saying it’s their custom to give “a friend” a gift. If you take it, they expect money.
I haven't been to Rome but been to London where theft is high. My advice is to keep all your stuff on your person not in a bag but in front pockets. And keep your hands on your pocket to be extra safe in busy areas
Thank you for your tips. I’ll be there in November
My son has just come back from a short break to Rome. He said scammers are everywhere, the bracelet and flower sellers and people just harassing you. He also had a negative vibe and felt unwelcome from the locals which is ironic considering that tourists pour millions into the country…
the bracelet scammers really intimidated my son and me. They start off by saying you like Africa, and I agree, as I am not a racist scumbag. Then, the bracelet donation starts. It's free, and I want to make a donation. We had to walk fast and then spot them at other parts. At night, when finding a bus stop, one man really scared me; he kept following me and doing fake voodoo.
Another, not so much a scam, is the 'water water' guys.
We used the water fountains around Rome. Also, don't go in an extreme heat wave climate crisis month. August was way too hot.
What I'd like to say, I can't.
People I don't know put hidden cameras in my apartment and they talk to me from the street every day. There are cameras even in the toilet. Sometimes they let the children speak. I moved to another part of the country, the same people do the same. They are harassing my colleagues at work behind my back. The police don't interfere.
I living in Israel 25 years.I came from Azerbaijan. The Jews want to drive me to suicide. They talk to me all the time, when I go outside they leave. The neighbours never called the police. They call trying to kill me mastery.
For a long time, as Chanel prices have risen, I no longer thought I could afford it. I think I would be happy to have a kislux as a travel bag that I don't have to take care of. By the way, I'm sure no one would have a hard time telling the difference. Thanks for the comparison.
I had the "found ring" scam pulled on me but I was not buying it for a second. She left me curing at me. I told a dear friend the story and when she was in Paris some other It pulled on her. Remembering my story she didn't all for it either and she thanked me for it.
those darn Gladiators taking 25 Euros for a photo you took!
It's sad that you even have to make a video like this. I'm going to Rome with my family next year and this certainly takes a lot of the joy out of the trip.
It doesn't sound like the police really care to stop this theft for some reason.
Yesterday my grandson and his gf were being hounded by scammers around the Colesseo, he said the phrase I'd taught him that day, vai via (go away) cut them off mid sentence and they left them alone.
Rome is infested with unsavoury characters from other countries looking to prey on tourists . It almost makes it unpleasant to visit the level of harassment you get. Same in Paris. You'd think the authorities would clear them out.
Anytime a stranger says "hello my friend. Where are you from?" Don't walk, RUN!