Because he doesn’t want to be called racist because they’re most likely African illegals. We experienced the same scam there and were called racists by them when we resisted
Don’t be rude guys. I would just take some bracelets with me too. Once he puts one on me I will take out mine and put one on him. He will go on his way and I will go on my way being friends. 😂😂😂
@@PoiluCul I say yes sure I would love one, You are so friendly. When they ask for money I yell NO So loud everyone can hear me and look over. By this time the people just will leave you alone and you got a free bracelet
The sad truth is that it's not only a tourist trap. The italians have to deal with this everyday in the cities. And if we protest against it, we get called racists.
I’m Italian and it actually happened to me too. The guy threw the bracelet at me so I just let it fall to the ground and smiled at him. He picked it up, tried to chat me up some more but then desisted and left me alone. Such a hassle. And they also call you racist if you don’t buy their stuff because they’re mostly Africans. They’re definitely not doing a favor to all the other African immigrants in Italy who get a bad rep as a consequence.
Yes but there is also a disproportíonate probłem from who was let in and it isn’t just a small probłem. Here are Italy críme stats from a couple years back… the issues today remain the same: Foreigners make up 8.7 percent (today it’s over 11%) of Italy’s population, yet commit over half of all serious crimes. A whopping 89.7 percent of crimes involving exploitation of prostitution, 55.8 percent of cases involving sexual violence, 52.8 percent of robberies, 52.4 percent of thefts, and 43.6 percent of malicious injury cases. Keep in mind, the data does not include crimes committed by second-generation Italians. In other words, Italians born to immigrant parents are not listed as “foreigners” and are instead seen as Italian citizens. If you add them, it’s over 80% of the seríous crimes in Italy. The data helps dispel the notion that immigrants coming in are all just peaceful people looking for a better life. The data shows that foreigners account for a massively disproportionate share of the overall crime rate. “the worrying cultural climate in which certain phenomena occur is a sign of a total lack of any kind of values”. - Chief Inspector Omar Di Ronco A week of widespread chaos brook out in Italian lakeside towns near Lake Garda involving up to 2,000 migrants. The chaos included widespread violence, stabbings and assaults (perpetuated by the mígrants and not Italians). The Italian public prosecutor’s office and the Italian Parliament have opened a number of investigations, including into cases where migrant men sexually assaulted teen girls, including 6 on a train from Lake Garda to Milan. “They are just a culture of criminals who have left a deep wound in my community. We lived a week of war,” said the mayor of Italian lakeside town Peschiera Italy’s National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT)
@@danidejaneiro8378Did you see the stats I posted? That’s not just a “few” and no one said anything about blaming all of any group of people. That doesn’t mean we have to ignore who is primarily responsibłe or ignore serious issues.
@@GhostSal - yes you did, you said other Africans get a bad rep because of this but that's on YOU for associating a scammer with an innocent stranger just because of their skin colour or nationality. Imagine if we condemned all Italians because of the Mafia or Mussolini or Berlusconi. Every person is an individual and if you wanna treat all Africans as scammers because some of them scammed you, well that just makes you an old-fashioned racist.
Exactly, it happened to my wife and I there. They’re migrants and if you’re white and say no they call you racists. They put one on my wife’s wrist and she didn’t resist then required money after saying it was free. I stood up to them and said free is free. Then the racism claims abounded. If I wasn’t 6’6” I think there may have been trouble because they were also tall senegaleses. I think that’s why he says he stopped recording, he didn’t want to look racist showing who the scammers are
What I do when people try to scam me is I'll talk in different languages and pretend I don't know English or the local language, the look on their confused faces😂 good shit
This is all over Italy and Europe in general. A common one I saw when in Italy in march was black men dressed up in African robes selling “authentic” African goods. They work in teams and throw bracelets, belts and charms at you all while insisting they’re free. Once you take one, they show you a photo of their family and ask for money.
That right there is why I much rather traveling to Japan. Where people behave civil and with excellent manners. Japan is a very safe country to travel in. I feel safer than at home in Japan.
They did this to us in France, actually braiding a bracelet on my young daughter, despite my telling them "no" repeatedly. Then when they had it tied on her, they demanded payment. I got PISSED which made them pissed. I got it off of her and hollered at them. It sounds stupid and harmless, but these things feel like an assault when there is a group of them surrounding you and not taking no for an answer. I'm still pissed and this happened several years ago.
Another useful method is to slowly pull the pepper spray out of your pocket until you have a clear shot of the eyes, mouth, and nose before pulling the trigger.
I got caught with the flowers in Venice a few days ago but gave it back to him after he asked for money. He was polite enough to show me directions of where I wanted to go however.
Same EXACT thing happened to me in Rome last October. Was walking along near City Center and the guy said... "I like your shoes"...asked where I was from and kept trying to hand me something. I just kept walking as fast as I could and kept saying, "No thank you". Nobody had previously made me aware of this specific scam, but I'm smart enough to know that NOTHING IS FREE! It's good that you're warning people however because many people just lack good sound common sense and they will fall for anything!
The best way to avoid these people are to just ignore them. The moment they start a conversation, pretend that you don't hear them. Or just Say NO and walk away!
20 yrs ago, people would come into fast food restaurants and place bracelets on your table with a note saying the seller was mute. We wouldn't touch them. Then they would circle back and pick them up or payment if anyone wanted to buy one.
My wife and I were in Rome back in 2019. We were walking around and noticed a man trying to hand people a flower. He immediately went towards my wife and handed her the flower and said for free, but then walked up to me then made the cash sign with his hand. I gave him the flower back. I have no tolerance for that
I was in Cairo in 2017, almost no tourists then. I came out of the museum and was approached by a guy selling crap photos. I said no. He put one in my hand. I said, in Canada, when someone gives you something, it’s a gift, and started walking away. He ran after me and demanded I give it back. We actually had a decent conversation after that.
i was there 1 month ago and knew about this and i watched it happen to 2 different people in Rome. we took rick steves’ advice beforehand and didn’t make ourselves targets, and had zero issues. best travel experience ever, we loved everything about the whole country of italy and will definitely be going back!
I saw a scam in a souvenir store in Los Angeles. The owner was asking outrageous prices for small things like film for cameras to Japanese tourists who he thought didn’t understand English. I definitely understood what he said because I grew up in NYC. What a scumbag.
When traveling, don't talk to strangers, don't provide any personal information, don't accept anything, don't sign any petitions, don't make eye contact with solicitors, don't buy from street vendors, don't give to beggars, always be aware of your surroundings and people around you, avoid crowded areas.
I visited Italy three times and I would like to let any tourist know visiting Italy to be aware of scam artists and pickpocketers as they are mainly around the central areas of any big city such as Rome and I've seen them all the time when I was in Florence, particularly by the Duomo. But as others already mentioned, that shouldn't stop anyone from visiting such a beautiful country with such a rich history, tradition and architecture. These scam artists are not Italians and are not welcomed in Italy and most people just ignore them, that's the best course of action. Nothing happens if you just ignore them and pass by them like they are invisible.
I was there a week ago. While taking a picture, I heard a similar voice saying: "Nice selfie. Are you from England or the US?" Which I didn't respond to because 1. I'm actually mexican, and in that moment, I didn't feel like explaining, and 2. I thought it might be a scam. I'm glad to know that I was able to avoid it.
My wife and I had this happen there also but only it was with a rose. We refused the rose and the guy wouldn't stop, he followed us for a while until he finally quit.
This very true. My parents this summer visited Rome and yes some tried to scam them, actually some even followed them and the locals who were near my parents warned them that they're marked. Luckily my parents quickly found the police and the others stopped tracking. Good thing is that its only this bad in Rome due to some dishonest immigrants. Otherwise Italy is a beautiful country, safe and the Italians are very polite.
Someone threw a bracelet or something at our table in Munich in front of some restaurants and then yeha he wanted money for it. And I was aware of that so I said "sorry, no"
@@nanashi7779you think we go around selling bracelets?bruh,happened to me in Naples too from an african guy,gave him money cuz i was naive at the time(and also 13 or something).
Please also check around the train stations in Rome there are plenty of pick pocket and most of them in the group , I was there last month I got harassed by pick pockets because I tell the young tourists not to keep her phone , those pick pocket using eye sign to each other when they see the target
When my daughter was 15 she was part of a cultural exchange program and visited, Athens, Rome and Paris. We knew there would be good supervision, but, my wife was a tad concerned. My daughter said ... I'm from New York! If I can handle NYC I can handle Europe. She was 100% correct and mom relaxed.
This happened to me and the guy was so aggressive. Thank goodness my husband was behind me and my tour guide stepped in. He literally pushed my shoulders when i started to walk away. He put the bracelet on me so fast i didn’t even realize it until i started to walk away and he yanked my shoulder. Please be aware of your surroundings and Dont fall for their sob stories. He had shown us a picture of a newborn to lend sympathy. Thats when i knew okay, i should walk away. Other than that Rome was great 😂
I’ve encountered this already and just said no grazie and kept walking. As as they think your Italian they tend to leave me alone(I speak Italian as well)
Happened to me in Rome near the Trajans column...and the police are doing nothing about it...On a holiday 2019 it happened all over Rome and its a bit a annoying!
They tried that with me and I said no I make my own and don't forget they purposely leg their paintings on the ground so that you can step on them.If you step on them they make you buy them
Or you can keep the bracelet and walk towards italian policemens. The dude can yell at you as loud as he want, its illegal, and he know it. He is not going to do anything
Few years ago, in Rome we were at a train station, police officers walked up to us and pointed out our bags then pointed out potential pickpockets. They made sure the sign message were understood even without saying a word of Italian or English to us.
The fact that all these posters who have had experience with these scammers, avoid describing how they appear, says a lot. But we know who most of these perps are.
As an American who travels far to see Rome, what makes people think that an American will be interested in a bracelet that is worth less than 1 Euro? Really? It’s like fishing for a shark and using a worm for bait. Lmao
What you really have to worry about is when eating,you leve your belongings,on table or a chair,and your having dinner/lunch,outside you will risk having your wollet,phone ,camera stolen. Romanian ladies or kids ,make believe they wan't to eat so they sit next to your table ,and wait for the right moment to steal,R while walking in a crowded street they will reach for your items left on the tables,
I m sorry for what happend to you. I got this experience too so I know it is pretty shitty. It is worth knowing that those people are gypsies from romania not actual romanians. They are an ethnic minority in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Spain, Turkey, France, Russia and others. Have a nice day😊
Yes. Gypsies have nothing in common with actual Romanian people. It's just one of many tactics to get close to people to steal/murder by claiming to be "Romani" and wash their trash reputation. Gypsies are the most disloyal group of people you can find, they were a minority that emigrated from India because even the people there thought they were complete trash too and were getting bent over for acting exactly like they do today, steal and be as dirty as possible. Many gypsies will claim persecution and other nonsense when it's clear that they themself act like thieves and degenerates. The reason they got bent over during medivial times is precisely because they made themselves a reputation as absolutely dishonorable trash and thiefs. Seeing if someone is a gypsy is very easy, they have ashen/brownish skin and have facial characteristics in common with Indian people (the reason they even remotely look white is because they also engage in rape of europeans and the occasional white woman who willingly goes to them, typically trailer trash). Their husbands and wives work in teams, while the wife begs for money (again a Gypsy does not know what honest work is and never will), her husband will be out stealing shit. If there's enough of them (gypsies are the very definition of a coward) the men will mob a target and assault them, often with murder or severe maiming as a outcome. They also leave trash everywhere. This nomad trash disloyal behaviour is also of their own choosing, especially in the modern era with so much social support. Their very DNA screams at them to act like trash and be loyal to nothing.
This is like the super heroes in Times Square who scam you into taking pictures with them and then follow you around asking for money until you threaten to call the cops.
Bro literally said the exact same thing. Like he complimented my shoes. I knew about the scam already, but my gullible self believed it was real. He then gave me 5 bracelets for “free” and I knew it was rigged and walked away
Lol I'm also from Colorado had had this happen exactly right there. He gave it to me, then told me his wife was about to give birth any minute and asked if I had anything to help him, so I gave him a bracelet I had to give to his daughter 😂. He wasn't sure what to say and I walked off
This same guy did the same thing to me yesterday and the bracelet fell on the ground , so I didn’t even pick it up . I just left it there . Same guy . I recognized his voice .
Because the scammer Is african like the 99% of scammers in Italy and the guy fears to pass ad racist so he lets people interpret of as if they were Italians. Pathetic.
That happend to me to, the next thing the scammer wanted was to give me a fabric braclet. Luckily i was able to escape his trap before he asked me to try one of his fabric braclet.
Wow I went to Spain and my friend and I received a friendship bracelet from a seemingly African man that was selling them…and he was the nicest person. He didn’t ask us for money. He just blessed our trip & told us to be careful. I’ll never forget him.
I’ll just tell them “I’m from America. Step away. We’re told by our country to punch anyone who speaks to us. I give you a seconds before I throw my first punch” *2 secs pass. *punch guy That’s how I spend 4 days in Japan jail lol
And a lot of times they start with “my brother”. He started freaking out when i walked away after he said “free for you mon”. So i got louder than he and told him not to tell people things are free if they’re not. He walked away mucho unhappy. Needless to say, we didn’t become friends that day
Yes, my daughter said they did that in Rome. She ran off a man that was harassing an old lady that couldn’t speak English. They give you a rose like it’s a gift then demand payment. Don’t touch anything or you just bought it.
This happened to me when I visited Rome 😂 Guy complimented my shoes, said something about yin & yang, then threw a bracelet at me…which I let hit me in the chest and fall to the ground before saying “thanks” and walking away
I’m from Jersey and go to NYC a lot. Personally with scams like this i’m aggressive not physically but verbally aggressive. My boyfriend is like a golden retriever therefore engages and i quite literally have to scare scammers away.
This happened to us in Rome as well when we were walking on a street with shopping bags. The guy offered to carry them, we said no, and then he gave us a bracelet as a “gift”. Then he started asking for money. Be careful out there
Happened in Barcelona... I asked repeatedly if it was free, let them put it on and when asked for money, my response was "You said it was free, cut it off if you want it back." Had a free bracelet
That happened to me. I'm always friendly to people who are friendly to me. The next thing I knew he was already putting a bracelet around my wrist. When he asked for payment for it, I said I'm not interested. But he became manacing so I just paid the few bucks to get rid of him. But that was a learning experience for.
There's also the seemingly innocent nod and handshake that becomes a bracelet thing. Happened to me in Paris and things got genuinely heated on their end when I refused to give them money.
Happened to me when I was there. Multiple times!!! I just shook my head and ignored them. Don’t take the bracelet. I know many of them do this because they can’t get any other work as they are mostly undocumented but it’s still annoying.
We had that happen at the trevi Fontaine. My husband ended up giving it back I just kept walking away with the bracelet. That is how my husband learned not to talk to people selling things😂😂
Hi. Regretfully, this is quite common in many other destinations in Italy for instance in Piazza Duomo in Milan. Please be careful at very attended railway stations such as Roma Termini, Napoli Centrale, Milano Centrale and Milano Lambrate, Padova and more frequently pickpockets in Bologna Centrale. The best approach is to act like Northern Europeans. In other words, be quiet and walk your way without turning at people trying to get your attention.
The trick to stop them making a scene is either ignore them or out yell them. 😂 Most locals and other tourists know they are scammers so dun worry abt scaring them back lol.
it is like this in all southern countries. also if you dont look at them, and you walk away, they can be very rude, and shout after you and say like "look at me" in an angry way..
As a Nigerian, got a bracelet from this Senegalese guy. He said it was a gift since we were both African. Few minutes later, he asked for money. I was like, dude! You just said this was a gift as we are both African.. He gave me 2 bracelets. So he was like, okay give me 1 back and keep the other… 😂😂😂
I met that same guy about 1/2 mile from the Pantheon... in 2017. Same tactic "I like your shoes"... I don't know why the police don't clean up this mess
Haha I had the same thing with a rose. I thought it was free because he had a crush on me 😂😂😂 that will teach me to be big-headed! My friends were laughing at me so much for being such a tourist.
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Why in the heck would you stop recording during an attempted scam?? That recording is your best legal defense.
I cursed him out in italian lol
Because he doesn’t want to be called racist because they’re most likely African illegals. We experienced the same scam there and were called racists by them when we resisted
He’s from Colorado 🥴
It's didn't happen and he needs "content"
Legal defence 😂😂😂 stereotypical American. What legal system are you expecting to drag a street scammer from Rome through 😂
Don't look at them...don't talk to them....ignore them....
@@Tori.dance.moms.edits.their being rude by trying to scam you, why are you afraid of being rude to them?
Don’t be rude guys. I would just take some bracelets with me too. Once he puts one on me I will take out mine and put one on him. He will go on his way and I will go on my way being friends. 😂😂😂
@@MrCreative1777 did anyone ever hear the expression:
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do"..
It helps in not getting scammed...
@@blakebella2273 never heard it but I must be a Roman in my past life. 😝
stay away from blacks or arabs
DO NOT ENGAGE-no eye contact, no talking, no touching.
Or say no like a decent human
@@PoiluCul I say yes sure I would love one, You are so friendly. When they ask for money I yell NO So loud everyone can hear me and look over. By this time the people just will leave you alone and you got a free bracelet
@@PoiluCulno doesn’t get them to leave you alone. Have you ever left your home before?
@@markfiori246That's not going to work.
Yeah and dont breath,dont live
The sad truth is that it's not only a tourist trap. The italians have to deal with this everyday in the cities. And if we protest against it, we get called racists.
Scamers are on every touristic point around the world. Don't try to make your country look better
Best way to handle these people is having locals call them out. "SHUT UP DUDE, I SEE YOU DO THIS 30 TIMES A DAY".
Thank goodness Italians have a heart and aren’t spies;) give one Euro and help someone out.
The thing is when locals get involved, they almost always immediately cry “racísm” and with medía supporting them they often get away with it.
😂😂😂 the reason they still there because nobody give a shit about you😈🔥
I've found just saying a nationality they probably don't know how to speak, usually Rusiya or Polska work
I say yes take one. And then if they ask for money i yell and say NO. They leave me alone after that cuz everyones looking at that point
The golden word is: Polizia 😂
I’m Italian and it actually happened to me too. The guy threw the bracelet at me so I just let it fall to the ground and smiled at him. He picked it up, tried to chat me up some more but then desisted and left me alone. Such a hassle. And they also call you racist if you don’t buy their stuff because they’re mostly Africans. They’re definitely not doing a favor to all the other African immigrants in Italy who get a bad rep as a consequence.
Yes but there is also a disproportíonate probłem from who was let in and it isn’t just a small probłem. Here are Italy críme stats from a couple years back… the issues today remain the same:
Foreigners make up 8.7 percent (today it’s over 11%) of Italy’s population, yet commit over half of all serious crimes. A whopping 89.7 percent of crimes involving exploitation of prostitution, 55.8 percent of cases involving sexual violence, 52.8 percent of robberies, 52.4 percent of thefts, and 43.6 percent of malicious injury cases.
Keep in mind, the data does not include crimes committed by second-generation Italians. In other words, Italians born to immigrant parents are not listed as “foreigners” and are instead seen as Italian citizens. If you add them, it’s over 80% of the seríous crimes in Italy. The data helps dispel the notion that immigrants coming in are all just peaceful people looking for a better life. The data shows that foreigners account for a massively disproportionate share of the overall crime rate.
“the worrying cultural climate in which certain phenomena occur is a sign of a total lack of any kind of values”. - Chief Inspector Omar Di Ronco
A week of widespread chaos brook out in Italian lakeside towns near Lake Garda involving up to 2,000 migrants. The chaos included widespread violence, stabbings and assaults (perpetuated by the mígrants and not Italians). The Italian public prosecutor’s office and the Italian Parliament have opened a number of investigations, including into cases where migrant men sexually assaulted teen girls, including 6 on a train from Lake Garda to Milan.
“They are just a culture of criminals who have left a deep wound in my community. We lived a week of war,” said the mayor of Italian lakeside town Peschiera
Italy’s National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT)
Lol the Africans dont have a bad rep for shit like this they have a bad rap because they rape people, including a lot of children.
Why are you judging all Africans off the behaviour of a few?
@@danidejaneiro8378Did you see the stats I posted? That’s not just a “few” and no one said anything about blaming all of any group of people. That doesn’t mean we have to ignore who is primarily responsibłe or ignore serious issues.
@@GhostSal - yes you did, you said other Africans get a bad rep because of this but that's on YOU for associating a scammer with an innocent stranger just because of their skin colour or nationality. Imagine if we condemned all Italians because of the Mafia or Mussolini or Berlusconi. Every person is an individual and if you wanna treat all Africans as scammers because some of them scammed you, well that just makes you an old-fashioned racist.
The people doing this are NOT Italians
Exactly, it happened to my wife and I there. They’re migrants and if you’re white and say no they call you racists. They put one on my wife’s wrist and she didn’t resist then required money after saying it was free. I stood up to them and said free is free. Then the racism claims abounded. If I wasn’t 6’6” I think there may have been trouble because they were also tall senegaleses. I think that’s why he says he stopped recording, he didn’t want to look racist showing who the scammers are
Can't understand why some countries just open doors & let others dump their garbage/scumbags into them.
They're always gypsies.
Off course not, you rather have other more dangerous people..
They're KANGZ
My advice fellow travellers is completely IGNORE the scammers & walk on! Their foothold is ANY reaction. 😂
Happened to me in Florence. Once the fellow try to insst on giving me the bracelet, I started shouting "Polizie". That ended abruptly.
You know why? Because you said "cleanings!" And people were confused 😂
@@Fake_account_001 I thought the same. wrong country. surely he meant carabinieri lol
To clean is "pulire" while "polizia" (plural "polizie") is police.
pOLiCes
This literally happened to me 3 hours ago. Dude seemed shady so I just walked away. Didn't know it was an organized scam. Bastards
My 14 year olds nephew tossed back the bracelet lightning fast, glad l briefed him before our trip.
I'm italian, and this happens to me all the time when I go to crowded tourist places. Just ignore them. They won't do anything, and it's not dangerous
What I do when people try to scam me is I'll talk in different languages and pretend I don't know English or the local language, the look on their confused faces😂 good shit
This is all over Italy and Europe in general. A common one I saw when in Italy in march was black men dressed up in African robes selling “authentic” African goods. They work in teams and throw bracelets, belts and charms at you all while insisting they’re free. Once you take one, they show you a photo of their family and ask for money.
That right there is why I much rather traveling to Japan. Where people behave civil and with excellent manners. Japan is a very safe country to travel in. I feel safer than at home in Japan.
Sometimes it turns to threats of víolence too, where they are working in teams and some come at you from behind (sometimes with a weapon).
True happend to me
There are fake "monks" in the U.S. who do this, too. Especially bad in Las Vegas.
And when you resist they call you racist
“Where are you from?”
“My house.”
From Atlantis. 😁
They did this to us in France, actually braiding a bracelet on my young daughter, despite my telling them "no" repeatedly. Then when they had it tied on her, they demanded payment. I got PISSED which made them pissed. I got it off of her and hollered at them. It sounds stupid and harmless, but these things feel like an assault when there is a group of them surrounding you and not taking no for an answer. I'm still pissed and this happened several years ago.
Pretty common just don't take the bracelets they often do it with flowers as well
Another useful method is to slowly pull the pepper spray out of your pocket until you have a clear shot of the eyes, mouth, and nose before pulling the trigger.
I got caught with the flowers in Venice a few days ago but gave it back to him after he asked for money. He was polite enough to show me directions of where I wanted to go however.
@@juiciestlemonadeofyoutube that’s just gonna escalate the situation. Better to just walk away
Throw a bracelet...its landing on the ground as I walk away.
Same EXACT thing happened to me in Rome last October. Was walking along near City Center and the guy said... "I like your shoes"...asked where I was from and kept trying to hand me something. I just kept walking as fast as I could and kept saying, "No thank you". Nobody had previously made me aware of this specific scam, but I'm smart enough to know that NOTHING IS FREE! It's good that you're warning people however because many people just lack good sound common sense and they will fall for anything!
The best way to avoid these people are to just ignore them. The moment they start a conversation, pretend that you don't hear them. Or just Say NO and walk away!
20 yrs ago, people would come into fast food restaurants and place bracelets on your table with a note saying the seller was mute. We wouldn't touch them. Then they would circle back and pick them up or payment if anyone wanted to buy one.
My wife and I were in Rome back in 2019. We were walking around and noticed a man trying to hand people a flower. He immediately went towards my wife and handed her the flower and said for free, but then walked up to me then made the cash sign with his hand. I gave him the flower back. I have no tolerance for that
I was in Cairo in 2017, almost no tourists then. I came out of the museum and was approached by a guy selling crap photos. I said no. He put one in my hand. I said, in Canada, when someone gives you something, it’s a gift, and started walking away. He ran after me and demanded I give it back. We actually had a decent conversation after that.
i was there 1 month ago and knew about this and i watched it happen to 2 different people in Rome. we took rick steves’ advice beforehand and didn’t make ourselves targets, and had zero issues. best travel experience ever, we loved everything about the whole country of italy and will definitely be going back!
I saw a scam in a souvenir store in Los Angeles. The owner was asking outrageous prices for small things like film for cameras to Japanese tourists who he thought didn’t understand English. I definitely understood what he said because I grew up in NYC. What a scumbag.
Same thing in london...
When traveling, don't talk to strangers, don't provide any personal information, don't accept anything, don't sign any petitions, don't make eye contact with solicitors, don't buy from street vendors, don't give to beggars, always be aware of your surroundings and people around you, avoid crowded areas.
Especially the buying from street vendors part. A big NO NO!
No buying from street vendors?? That’s literally like half the shops in Thailand. What about markets as well?
Caveat emptor always
This scam is played everywhere... not just here in italy...
I visited Italy three times and I would like to let any tourist know visiting Italy to be aware of scam artists and pickpocketers as they are mainly around the central areas of any big city such as Rome and I've seen them all the time when I was in Florence, particularly by the Duomo. But as others already mentioned, that shouldn't stop anyone from visiting such a beautiful country with such a rich history, tradition and architecture. These scam artists are not Italians and are not welcomed in Italy and most people just ignore them, that's the best course of action. Nothing happens if you just ignore them and pass by them like they are invisible.
I was there a week ago. While taking a picture, I heard a similar voice saying: "Nice selfie. Are you from England or the US?" Which I didn't respond to because 1. I'm actually mexican, and in that moment, I didn't feel like explaining, and 2. I thought it might be a scam. I'm glad to know that I was able to avoid it.
Why catch the bracelet? Just let it fall. Why stop recording? That's when you absolutely should record!!!
My wife and I had this happen there also but only it was with a rose. We refused the rose and the guy wouldn't stop, he followed us for a while until he finally quit.
This very true. My parents this summer visited Rome and yes some tried to scam them, actually some even followed them and the locals who were near my parents warned them that they're marked. Luckily my parents quickly found the police and the others stopped tracking. Good thing is that its only this bad in Rome due to some dishonest immigrants. Otherwise Italy is a beautiful country, safe and the Italians are very polite.
It’s always them though, isn’t it
Someone threw a bracelet or something at our table in Munich in front of some restaurants and then yeha he wanted money for it. And I was aware of that so I said "sorry, no"
Here in Greece we call them "HakunaMatata" since they will use that phrase a lot for some damn reason...
Are they going to sing show tunes?
honestly visiting Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia are less scammy than european countries
It's not "Europeans" though, they are Africans doing that..duh.
Lady boy 😂😂😂
@@alessandrom7181 how do you know?
@@nanashi7779you think we go around selling bracelets?bruh,happened to me in Naples too from an african guy,gave him money cuz i was naive at the time(and also 13 or something).
@@nanashi7779probably because they look african, speak with an african accent and are fucking from africa
Please also check around the train stations in Rome there are plenty of pick pocket and most of them in the group , I was there last month I got harassed by pick pockets because I tell the young tourists not to keep her phone , those pick pocket using eye sign to each other when they see the target
When my daughter was 15 she was part of a cultural exchange program and visited, Athens, Rome and Paris. We knew there would be good supervision, but, my wife was a tad concerned. My daughter said ... I'm from New York! If I can handle NYC I can handle Europe. She was 100% correct and mom relaxed.
The dude that got us told me I had a “black empty heart” when I told him to bugger off
Had the same guy last June with the “I like your shoes”, which confused me so I just kept walking. I was wearing an old beat up pair of hiking shoes…
This happened to me in Paris, when a woman threw a cheap nasty wedding ring in front of me. She got angry when I didn't pick it up.
I would just tell the guy to get lost if he can’t take the hint.
I was the victim of a tourist scam in New Orleans decades ago.
This used to happen on Hollywood Blvd. Wannabe rappers would hand you a CD. If you walk away with it they ask for $10 dollars.
People still use CDs?
@@thespacesbetweenstudio3346 Past tense.
This happened to me and the guy was so aggressive. Thank goodness my husband was behind me and my tour guide stepped in. He literally pushed my shoulders when i started to walk away. He put the bracelet on me so fast i didn’t even realize it until i started to walk away and he yanked my shoulder. Please be aware of your surroundings and Dont fall for their sob stories. He had shown us a picture of a newborn to lend sympathy. Thats when i knew okay, i should walk away. Other than that Rome was great 😂
Was this guy Italian?
Telling them you're gonna slap the scammer out of them if they don't leave you alone works like a charm.
I’ve encountered this already and just said no grazie and kept walking. As as they think your Italian they tend to leave me alone(I speak Italian as well)
Happened to me in Rome near the Trajans column...and the police are doing nothing about it...On a holiday 2019 it happened all over Rome and its a bit a annoying!
They tried that with me and I said no I make my own and don't forget they purposely leg their paintings on the ground so that you can step on them.If you step on them they make you buy them
In Milano they did this with roses as well
Khabib: is my bracelet now, go sleep.
Or you can keep the bracelet and walk towards italian policemens. The dude can yell at you as loud as he want, its illegal, and he know it. He is not going to do anything
Italy needs to police these people or risk tourists not visiting their country.
Oh please!
This is exactly why the radical left wants to neutralize the police. They want both locals and tourists to be completely vulnerable.
Few years ago, in Rome we were at a train station, police officers walked up to us and pointed out our bags then pointed out potential pickpockets. They made sure the sign message were understood even without saying a word of Italian or English to us.
Guess the race of the scammer.
The fact that all these posters who have had experience with these scammers, avoid describing how they appear, says a lot. But we know who most of these perps are.
As an American who travels far to see Rome, what makes people think that an American will be interested in a bracelet that is worth less than 1 Euro? Really? It’s like fishing for a shark and using a worm for bait. Lmao
He doesn't mention they scammer was not Italian. He was African. I feel scammed
Bamboo scammers
Im Italian and they do that to me too
What you really have to worry about is when eating,you leve your belongings,on table or a chair,and your having dinner/lunch,outside you will risk having your wollet,phone ,camera stolen.
Romanian ladies or kids ,make believe they wan't to eat so they sit next to your table ,and wait for the right moment to steal,R while walking in a crowded street they will reach for your items left on the tables,
Those Romani are a plague through all Europe :/
I m sorry for what happend to you. I got this experience too so I know it is pretty shitty. It is worth knowing that those people are gypsies from romania not actual romanians. They are an ethnic minority in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Spain, Turkey, France, Russia and others.
Have a nice day😊
Yes. Gypsies have nothing in common with actual Romanian people. It's just one of many tactics to get close to people to steal/murder by claiming to be "Romani" and wash their trash reputation.
Gypsies are the most disloyal group of people you can find, they were a minority that emigrated from India because even the people there thought they were complete trash too and were getting bent over for acting exactly like they do today, steal and be as dirty as possible.
Many gypsies will claim persecution and other nonsense when it's clear that they themself act like thieves and degenerates. The reason they got bent over during medivial times is precisely because they made themselves a reputation as absolutely dishonorable trash and thiefs.
Seeing if someone is a gypsy is very easy, they have ashen/brownish skin and have facial characteristics in common with Indian people (the reason they even remotely look white is because they also engage in rape of europeans and the occasional white woman who willingly goes to them, typically trailer trash). Their husbands and wives work in teams, while the wife begs for money (again a Gypsy does not know what honest work is and never will), her husband will be out stealing shit. If there's enough of them (gypsies are the very definition of a coward) the men will mob a target and assault them, often with murder or severe maiming as a outcome.
They also leave trash everywhere.
This nomad trash disloyal behaviour is also of their own choosing, especially in the modern era with so much social support. Their very DNA screams at them to act like trash and be loyal to nothing.
At the Collesum it happened to me. I was so confused the Nigerian just gave it to me and walked away. Coming to Italy it felt so weird.
This is like the super heroes in Times Square who scam you into taking pictures with them and then follow you around asking for money until you threaten to call the cops.
they already kill me with that questions 😂
Bro literally said the exact same thing. Like he complimented my shoes. I knew about the scam already, but my gullible self believed it was real. He then gave me 5 bracelets for “free” and I knew it was rigged and walked away
I was there a week ago, they did this on the colosseum. I answered “I’m from Mars, fuck off” 🤣 I was the tourist and I made the scene
Lol I'm also from Colorado had had this happen exactly right there. He gave it to me, then told me his wife was about to give birth any minute and asked if I had anything to help him, so I gave him a bracelet I had to give to his daughter 😂. He wasn't sure what to say and I walked off
Ok I saw this vid way too late, I have six bracelets even children don’t want lol
This same guy did the same thing to me yesterday and the bracelet fell on the ground , so I didn’t even pick it up . I just left it there . Same guy . I recognized his voice .
Why would you stop recording a obvious scam ?
Because the scammer Is african like the 99% of scammers in Italy and the guy fears to pass ad racist so he lets people interpret of as if they were Italians. Pathetic.
There forginers that why we always suck up to them typical Europe for you 🙄👍🏻
That happend to me to, the next thing the scammer wanted was to give me a fabric braclet. Luckily i was able to escape his trap before he asked me to try one of his fabric braclet.
Wow I went to Spain and my friend and I received a friendship bracelet from a seemingly African man that was selling them…and he was the nicest person. He didn’t ask us for money. He just blessed our trip & told us to be careful. I’ll never forget him.
I’ll just tell them “I’m from America. Step away. We’re told by our country to punch anyone who speaks to us. I give you a seconds before I throw my first punch” *2 secs pass. *punch guy
That’s how I spend 4 days in Japan jail lol
Sounds like an interesting story, how did it happen in Japan? 😅
Literally ignore them. When we were there we just blanked them and 30 seconds later they move to someone else
FACTS HAPPEN TO ME IN ROME MAY 2023 ... FACTS!
And a lot of times they start with “my brother”. He started freaking out when i walked away after he said “free for you mon”. So i got louder than he and told him not to tell people things are free if they’re not. He walked away mucho unhappy. Needless to say, we didn’t become friends that day
Yes, my daughter said they did that in Rome. She ran off a man that was harassing an old lady that couldn’t speak English. They give you a rose like it’s a gift then demand payment. Don’t touch anything or you just bought it.
This happened to me when I visited Rome 😂
Guy complimented my shoes, said something about yin & yang, then threw a bracelet at me…which I let hit me in the chest and fall to the ground before saying “thanks” and walking away
I don't take trash from strangers. I don't take any handouts, flyers or anything anyone tries to hand me.
Ugh. I hated Rome for this. Spoiled my whole experience.
I’m from Jersey and go to NYC a lot. Personally with scams like this i’m aggressive not physically but verbally aggressive. My boyfriend is like a golden retriever therefore engages and i quite literally have to scare scammers away.
Excellent journalism. Something is going to happen,…STOP the camera.
This happened to us in Rome as well when we were walking on a street with shopping bags. The guy offered to carry them, we said no, and then he gave us a bracelet as a “gift”. Then he started asking for money. Be careful out there
Happened in Barcelona... I asked repeatedly if it was free, let them put it on and when asked for money, my response was "You said it was free, cut it off if you want it back." Had a free bracelet
This actually happened to me in Madrid Spain and the fact that I’m only 10 years old, luckily I was with my mom and sister
That happened to me. I'm always friendly to people who are friendly to me. The next thing I knew he was already putting a bracelet around my wrist. When he asked for payment for it, I said I'm not interested. But he became manacing so I just paid the few bucks to get rid of him. But that was a learning experience for.
I live in Las Vegas and Scammers all over The Strip.. Like Cosplayers.. Showgirls.. And Those who gives you beaded bracelet and say “$20”.. 😢😢
There's also the seemingly innocent nod and handshake that becomes a bracelet thing. Happened to me in Paris and things got genuinely heated on their end when I refused to give them money.
I did this when I was on a field trip to France in 7th grade- needless to say my teacher from Paris flipped
So…if you knew someone was about to try and scam you, why would you intentionally stop recording?
It is also a curse because one of my family members got that bracelet and then could not sleep and had a lot more symptoms
Happened to me when I was there. Multiple times!!! I just shook my head and ignored them. Don’t take the bracelet. I know many of them do this because they can’t get any other work as they are mostly undocumented but it’s still annoying.
They do the same with flowers. Sometimes they have kids" giving" you flowers.
We had that happen at the trevi Fontaine. My husband ended up giving it back I just kept walking away with the bracelet.
That is how my husband learned not to talk to people selling things😂😂
Hi. Regretfully, this is quite common in many other destinations in Italy for instance in Piazza Duomo in Milan. Please be careful at very attended railway stations such as Roma Termini, Napoli Centrale, Milano Centrale and Milano Lambrate, Padova and more frequently pickpockets in Bologna Centrale. The best approach is to act like Northern Europeans. In other words, be quiet and walk your way without turning at people trying to get your attention.
You're a genius. Nobody has ever seen this 'scam' before EVER!!
The trick to stop them making a scene is either ignore them or out yell them. 😂
Most locals and other tourists know they are scammers so dun worry abt scaring them back lol.
it is like this in all southern countries. also if you dont look at them, and you walk away, they can be very rude, and shout after you and say like "look at me" in an angry way..
As a Nigerian, got a bracelet from this Senegalese guy. He said it was a gift since we were both African. Few minutes later, he asked for money.
I was like, dude! You just said this was a gift as we are both African..
He gave me 2 bracelets. So he was like, okay give me 1 back and keep the other…
😂😂😂
I met that same guy about 1/2 mile from the Pantheon... in 2017. Same tactic "I like your shoes"... I don't know why the police don't clean up this mess
Scammers littering the world!
Haha I had the same thing with a rose. I thought it was free because he had a crush on me 😂😂😂 that will teach me to be big-headed! My friends were laughing at me so much for being such a tourist.
These bracelet scams are also heavy around Vatican City.