Originally Posted by
Perche
It's still almost impossible to get pickpocketed unless you are not paying a minimum amount of attention, but today I saw something I never saw before that people should be alert to. I frequently go to Rome Termini when in Rome. Today, I entered Termini, but this time with a suitcase. I probably made it 15 yards before I was approached by someone in what looked to be some type of uniform of people who work for Termini to assist passengers.
She asked in English, "Can I help you?" Because she looked to be in a uniform of some sort (fancy jeans, a nice black T-Shirt and a lanyard around her neck) I was close to being civil, even though I didn't need any help. Instinctively I still didn't let her get within arms length Before I realized what it was.
As I was looking up at the timetable board a guy in the same "uniform" came up to me and asked if he could help. He even carried a clipboard with the train schedule. It made me think for a second to see two people clothed in the same way, "Has Termini hired people to help tourists navigate?" Of course not. Then I went up to the ticket machine and within 15 seconds another guy in the same outfit came up to ask I needed any help.
I then had to walk across almost the whole lobby to track #3 . Another person dressed in the same clothing came up to me asking if I needed help. This is some type of pickpocketing network that has invaded Termini. Each time when responded in Italian none of them could speak more than a few words. I doubt they will last long, but beware if you are going through Termini around now. Don't be paranoid about pickpockets, but this group in semi-official looking uniforms in Termini was a new one for me.
Every time I approach a ticketing machine at Termini, I have at least one person ask if I need help. I've always assumed they're looking for a tip. Last time I took a day trip to Orvieto, an older man in a suit even watched my transaction, after I told him I was good, then pointed out to me where the (very distant) platform was. He was polite and not at all pushy, so I gave the guy a euro (from the change I got out of the machine). It was clear that was what he was looking for.
Btw, I saw what Perche described in Milano Centrale last month. I wasn't approached, mainly young women traveling in pairs were. Looked somehow suspicious to have "Travelers' Aid" guys (they all had stickers on their shirts and clipboards) wandering the hall and offering assistance...
On our last trip to Naples, as we were getting off, a very old lady tapped my wife on the shoulder and told her to be careful about her purse in the station.
But, I personally have never felt that pickpockets are really a "thing" in Italy, more of an urban legend. But perhaps, comparatively, we don't present an easy target. Some of Perche's earlier posts had photo and written examples of folks doing things that maybe have kept "urban-ready" travelers from being victimized.
On a side note, on our first time in Termini, decades ago, my wife's butt was pinched so often she was bruised (hyperbole
). It was definitely a "thing" in Rome back in the day.
We're probably beyond the demographic for kind of attention now, but my daughter has never been touched in Rome, and she's been going there since she was 18. What happened?