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. 😂😂😂
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
@@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
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
This is how many minorities are literally scamming the West. They never seek refuge in Russia, China, Saudi Arabia...they know they have strict rules around immigration and basically wouldn't let them in.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
I saw that in Montmartre. They were doing that to some Japanese tourists which made me even angrier because I know Japanese people avoid conflict and probably have a hard time saying no in this context 😡
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.
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
exactly what a scammer tried to do to me lol. handing me a rose (i was a solo traveler) saying its "gratis" (free) then immediately asking a random couple next to me if theyre my parents and that they have to pay for the rose. of course he got it back in a millisecond.
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.
@@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
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
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!
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.
yeah happened to me in rome with a rose from some random scammer guy and a woman in the metro station "helping" people using coins for the machines then asking for some coins in exchange. watch out, dont accept anything for free and dont accept help if you dont ask for it.
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.
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.
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"
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
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.
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.
This happened to me in the Bahamas. I just told the woman we spent all of our money in town and we're on our way back to the boat (we were on a cruise). She picked a dumb place for the scam, right next to the boat as we returned. Thank you for sharing this, I'm sending it to the people I'm traveling to Rome with.
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)
Like in any big city, particularly the touristy areas, you simply ignore them completely. As far as scams go this one is pretty harmless. You could even argue it’s not so much a scam as manipulative marketing. Nobody seems to be trying to steal your money, just see if you’re stupid and/or meek enough to hand it over with the slightest amount of pressure. But when a poor immigrant does that it’s a crime and scourge but when corporations, pharmaceutical companies or used car salesmen do it it’s totally fine. 👍
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
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.
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
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.
Just to add some nuance to this, I was in Rome a few summers back, and was in a piazzi, roughly two miles from the Trevi Fountain. A guy, who was either selling, or scamming came up to me and chatted me up. He complimented my Benfica shirt, and said he was from Portugal. He gave me a free bracelet, and just.. walked away. No scam. Just a fun dude.
Sounds like the window-washing scam we have here at red lights. They don't ask, they just clean. Then get mad if you don't pay them. Keep your windows up and drive away as fast as you can when the light turns green.
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.
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.
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.
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 .
This happened to me at DC, someone dressed as a buddhist monk. I insisted if it was free and he kept ignoring the question so I didn't let him put it on my wrist. Once I told him I had no cash on me, he went away.
Same scam happens in other countries too. I saw it when I was in Paris and also in Jamaica. If you are a tourist and somebody offers you a "gift," don't take it. They will turn around and demand money if you do. They know most tourists who fall for it will give them money just to get them to go away.
Everybody here is absolutely 100% without a doubt, correct ! I live in Italy🇮🇹 and I was a visitor in Rome and the exact same thing happened to me! They will try to make some type of familiarity with you and them and say to you, I want to give you this (bracelet), it’s from the heart” the whole wow you know it’s a scam but you continue to listen as if they might change their mind and as soon as you reach out to accept the bracelet, they will ask you for money! Also… there will be other guys sitting aside watching you interact with the one person wanted to give you a bracelet. Do not accept it. Do not extend your hand.
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
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 😂
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
Davero, sto cojone
Neither would a fly but it’s bloody annoying 😂
@@Gallivantinggavtravels 🤣
Io li Mando afanculo😅
Yes been happening over 20 years this scam all over Europe
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
My advice fellow travellers is completely IGNORE the scammers & walk on! Their foothold is ANY reaction. 😂
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
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
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.
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 😂
@@Cacciatore_Raccoglitore I thought the same. wrong country. surely he meant carabinieri lol
To clean is "pulire" while "polizia" (plural "polizie") is police.
pOLiCes
@@Cacciatore_Raccoglitore He literally spelled “Polizie” right and the comment isn’t even modified.
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!
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
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.
“Where are you from?”
“My house.”
From Atlantis. 😁
My Mum
From polizie
My 14 year olds nephew tossed back the bracelet lightning fast, glad l briefed him before our trip.
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
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.
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!
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
This is how many minorities are literally scamming the West. They never seek refuge in Russia, China, Saudi Arabia...they know they have strict rules around immigration and basically wouldn't let them in.
How awefull
Seems that they are asking for some real racism.
I ADVISE HUMANS NOT TO VISIT THE UNITED STATES;SCUM WHO LIVE TO VICTIMIZE TOURISTS ARE EVERYWHERE.
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...
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.
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
The golden word is: Polizia 😂
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
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
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.
Throw a bracelet...its landing on the ground as I walk away.
It's always the same African dude in every city everywhere
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.
I saw that in Montmartre. They were doing that to some Japanese tourists which made me even angrier because I know Japanese people avoid conflict and probably have a hard time saying no in this context 😡
Yeah, and you just stood there and let them. Brilliant! You yank your daughter's arm away and move on.
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.
Why catch the bracelet? Just let it fall. Why stop recording? That's when you absolutely should record!!!
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
exactly what a scammer tried to do to me lol. handing me a rose (i was a solo traveler) saying its "gratis" (free) then immediately asking a random couple next to me if theyre my parents and that they have to pay for the rose. of course he got it back in a millisecond.
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.
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
african cultural diversity is italys strength they say....
This scam is played everywhere... not just here in italy...
This bracelet scam is so f.... irritating! Personally when I see them coming i just stare blanc at them and tell them to F... off! Works every time!
that is the best way. Funny how they all understand that great British phrase
The dude that got us told me I had a “black empty heart” when I told him to bugger off
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
Neve understand why these countries never crack down ont on these short of scam
Because jails are already full of them
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
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…
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!
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.
Oh that’s why there was a random person next to the Spanish steps asking me if I wanted one for free
I was the victim of a tourist scam in New Orleans decades ago.
FACTS HAPPEN TO ME IN ROME MAY 2023 ... FACTS!
In Milano they did this with roses as well
Someone did it to my friend! They gave her a fake rose for like 10 seconds and then said give me money and she gave it back, but she was mad 😠
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?
yeah happened to me in rome with a rose from some random scammer guy and a woman in the metro station "helping" people using coins for the machines then asking for some coins in exchange. watch out, dont accept anything for free and dont accept help if you dont ask for it.
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.
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.
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.
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"
Thank you for highlighting this. In Rome, my husband signed a "survey" for a good cause, after that they ask 200 euros! Don't fall for any of these!
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
You're a genius. Nobody has ever seen this 'scam' before EVER!!
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.
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.
Literally ignore them. When we were there we just blanked them and 30 seconds later they move to someone else
Khabib: is my bracelet now, go sleep.
I would just tell the guy to get lost if he can’t take the hint.
Telling them you're gonna slap the scammer out of them if they don't leave you alone works like a charm.
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 🙄👍🏻
This happened to me in the Bahamas. I just told the woman we spent all of our money in town and we're on our way back to the boat (we were on a cruise). She picked a dumb place for the scam, right next to the boat as we returned. Thank you for sharing this, I'm sending it to the people I'm traveling to Rome with.
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)
Like in any big city, particularly the touristy areas, you simply ignore them completely. As far as scams go this one is pretty harmless. You could even argue it’s not so much a scam as manipulative marketing. Nobody seems to be trying to steal your money, just see if you’re stupid and/or meek enough to hand it over with the slightest amount of pressure. But when a poor immigrant does that it’s a crime and scourge but when corporations, pharmaceutical companies or used car salesmen do it it’s totally fine. 👍
Excellent journalism. Something is going to happen,…STOP the camera.
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
No me gustaría haber tenido algún intento de estafa ni mínimo que haya sido.😊❤
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.
they already kill me with that questions 😂
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? 😅
Speaking from personal experience, most can be deterred with a well perfected Gollum impression....confuses the hell out of them 😂
Ok I saw this vid way too late, I have six bracelets even children don’t want lol
DO NOT ENGAGE AT ALL. DO NOT TOUCH THEIR MERCHANDISE.
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.
This short is the real scam!
Just to add some nuance to this, I was in Rome a few summers back, and was in a piazzi, roughly two miles from the Trevi Fountain. A guy, who was either selling, or scamming came up to me and chatted me up. He complimented my Benfica shirt, and said he was from Portugal. He gave me a free bracelet, and just.. walked away. No scam. Just a fun dude.
Sounds like the window-washing scam we have here at red lights. They don't ask, they just clean. Then get mad if you don't pay them. Keep your windows up and drive away as fast as you can when the light turns green.
Karen's after the scammer throws the braclet be like" UGHGHGH U KILLEDD MEEEEEEEE!!!%#$ AHHHHHH
We saw exactly that happening yesterday, at exactly that point, multiple times.
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.
Happened to me in Rome last month, I told him I wasn’t interested. He kept on bothering me. I threw it back at him and walked away.
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.
That building is beautiful.
This happened to me in Portugal, I was so conflicted bc I actually really liked the 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.
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.
Wonder why the government do nothing about it 😂
Because Europe thinks we are racist if we do
He doesn't mention they scammer was not Italian. He was African. I feel scammed
Bamboo scammers
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 .
Turn it around on them. Don't catch it and tell a cop they assaulting by throwing things at you. 😂
😂
All that you did was a great lesson in what NOT to do
This happened to me at DC, someone dressed as a buddhist monk. I insisted if it was free and he kept ignoring the question so I didn't let him put it on my wrist. Once I told him I had no cash on me, he went away.
Same scam happens in other countries too. I saw it when I was in Paris and also in Jamaica. If you are a tourist and somebody offers you a "gift," don't take it. They will turn around and demand money if you do. They know most tourists who fall for it will give them money just to get them to go away.
This is why everyone should be more like me. I'm extremely rude and don't shy away from physically attacking people.
Everybody here is absolutely 100% without a doubt, correct ! I live in Italy🇮🇹 and I was a visitor in Rome and the exact same thing happened to me! They will try to make some type of familiarity with you and them and say to you, I want to give you this (bracelet), it’s from the heart” the whole wow you know it’s a scam but you continue to listen as if they might change their mind and as soon as you reach out to accept the bracelet, they will ask you for money! Also… there will be other guys sitting aside watching you interact with the one person wanted to give you a bracelet. Do not accept it. Do not extend your hand.
This happened to me and my Mum last year at the Colosseum. It’s so frustrating because they were EVERYWHERE in Italy.😅