String bracelet scam in Italy

Hassled at the Colosseum by friendship bracelet guys

Part 1: We were in Rome a couple of weeks ago and went to visit the Colosseum.

Disappointed by all the scammers and hawkers, we got the African guys with the so called friendship bracelets but we refused them and had to get quite firm to the point of yelling no at them.. They are persistent!

Part 2: reformed drug user petition scam

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It’s honestly sad how many scams there are in Rome

It’s honestly sad how many scams there are in Rome since it is such a beautiful place.

Yesterday I was walking around Rome and an African started complimenting my pants and tried to give me something but the best thing to do is just keep walking (which I did and always works). Also, firmly saying ‘nein’ (no in German) works well too lol.

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Bracelet trick in Matera

My husband and I were in Matera, Italy when an African tried the bracelet trick but I pulled away. He started begging for money. I firmly said no but he became belligerent. I said I would call the police.

I am 63 years old and have traveled a lot so I know the scams. I did call the police since he had grabbed me.

The police all pretended not to speak any English at all, so don’t expect any help from them with this street scum. The police are very lazy in France and Italy and don’t care what happens to tourists.

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Hit on by rose, bracelet and neon sellers

Beh, I got taken for 1 euro by a taxi driver and feel very lucky…that is the only $/item I lost last week. It was my third trip to Rome and I was extremely careful [zipped money pouch inside my buttoned blouse w/cord all tucked out of site] and aware of my surroundings.

I know how to speak read, write and SPEAK Italian so perhaps that is why I did not feel too vulnerable traveling alone outside of my original travel group.

Yes, I was ‘hit’ on by the rose, bracelet and neon sellers and I politely said “no, grazie 2x” if they persisted it went “up” and loudly to “NO, VA VIA” which means NO, GO AWAY! I wore a determined and unpleasant expression on my face when I walked with a brisk pace in the terminis, as if to say ‘do not even try to mess with me.’ I had a very FUN Trip!

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Florence wooden carving and bracelet scam

This evening around 10:30pm we returned from eating out after a lovely day at the outdoor pool. Florence is lovely but just near our apartment while I was in a shop paying for icecreams a man had approached my wife and ‘given’ her and my my young daughter small wooden carvings. His patter was swift and he was insisting that these were gifts.

He quickly statet that he had family in uk to hiuld rapport and that his wife was giving birth today! Presumably to gain empathy from me. I became quicjly suspicious that he wanted some kind of payment but he said not but contradicted himself and asked for a ‘contribution’.. he was saying that he co tell that I was a ‘good man’ and so on and procceeded to adirn me with some leather wrist bracelet.

I became super concoous of my surroundings… my wife and kids had made it into out apartment main door and my pocjets had not been picked… Yet.

The smallest note I had on me was 20 euros. I challenged him. I said i didnt want them. I offered thst he tske them back. I gave him my wridt to take back the bracelet. I said this is some kind of scam. He took the bracelet back and began to ask where are my wife and children gone.

By niw he had realised i wasnt paying up. He was now saying that I wasa bad man. He had certainly changed his tune. If he took one step inside our apartment main door I thought to myself. I got the wooden carvings and gave them back to him abd shut the door on him.

What an aweful feeling. My wife and I then had an argument afterwards and my daughter was in tears. Horrible experience. What a shame on our last night in Florence… off to Venice tomorrow… reading the comments and tips I guess I had better remain vigilent… but I guess sadly it goes with the territory.

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