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Italy
48 scams
Besides being home to the most number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites globally, Italy also offers delicious cuisine, trendy fashion, stunning coasts, lakes, mountains and more!
Unfortunately, huge crowds of tourists have also attracted opportunists who rip tourists off with some well-polished petty crime and scams.
Note: vast majority of trips are trouble free and there is no need to be paranoid. That said, it always pays to be aware, careful, and prepared.
Emergency number
- Emergency number in Europe: 112
- Police: 113
- Fire: 115
- Ambulance: 118
Travel guide
Poster stepping scam in Italy
3 4How it works: Cheap posters are placed on the floors of places with high foot traffic. These could be entrances, exits or streets/pathways. Should you step or brush again one,…
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Would you like a drink bar scam in Italy
3 1How it works: Opening: Version 1: a tout offers you a free ticket to a club. Version 2: a scammer posing as a fellow tourist approaches you on the streets…
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Bird poo scam in Italy
3 0How it works: Someone spills a white liquid resembling bird poo on your clothes or jacket. Next, strangers appear out of nowhere to help you clean it. While you are…
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Venice water buses/vaporetti scams in Italy
3 0How it works: Version 1: touts here resell tickets for an inflated price. Version 2: a tout asks where you are headed. If you mention the the public Vaporetto dock,…
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Fake police in Italy
3 1How it works: Besides fake tax police, there are fake police officers as well. They will ask to check your valuables on the pretext of checking for counterfeit currency or…
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Horse drawn carriage/botticelli scam in Italy
3 1How it works: Not all are scams, but if you don’t know the price, you can be taken for a ride. It is about €150 for a one hour ride,…
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Drink, food spiking in Italy
3 0How it works: Version 1: there have reports of thieves befriending tired travellers at train stations at night and then offering spiked food/drinks. Version 2: this can happen at bars…
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Piazza Navona fake oil paintings in Italy
2 0How it works: You will see lots of artists here holding brushes who seem to be painting portraits. For some, this is an act to sell “oil paintings” which are…
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Naples’ phone scam in Italy
2 1How it works: Version 1: you may encounter touts offering a brand new phone at low prices on the streets. If you buy, the phone will be swapped with a…
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Gold ring scam in Italy
2 0How it works: Opening: A gypsy finds a gold ring on the floor, points at the “18k” hallmark on the ring and offers it to you (it is actually worthless…
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