Originally Posted by
Jaimito Cartero
This seems a bit harsh, on your part. I've been to 49 out of 50 states, and rarely have experienced any type of ripoffs in the US. They exist certainly, but aren't prevalent like some countries.
It may have been harsh, but, hey, it was early in the morning. It is still true, nonetheless. Again, if you're an American, your experience of tourist crime in America is going to be very different from that of a foreign visitor.
I often visit third world countries, and the ripoff factor there is much higher.
Rome and Amsterdam aren't in third-world countries.
They see light colored skin, and prices double,
That's not tourist crime.
you have to be careful when out at night, especially in tourist areas.
I'm not sure what you mean by, "you have to be careful." You need to be careful wherever you travel because, as a tourist, you're an easy mark. However, common sense precautions are, almost always, all that is necessary, as evidenced by the number of people posting to this thread who, like myself, travel extensively to international destinations and have not been the victim of tourist crime.
This month, in Quito, I had someone attempt to rip me off. This area of Mariscal Sucre has tons of tourists in it, and the accompanying vultures as well. It was interesting, since the first week I was outside of the tourist area, and walked around extensively in the evening, and never had a single problem.
Rip you off how? I've had plenty of people try to rip me off. None of them succeeded, because a little education about the tourist scams (which exist the world over) was all that was needed to avoid them.
I visit 5-10 countries a year, with about 6 months spent outside the US. When I leave my hotel or apartment, I take only as much money as I think I'll need (usually $50-$100). A $200 digital camera, no credit cards unless I'm withdrawing money, and a copy of my passport. I've gone into favelas in Brazil, dicey areas of Lima, and was the only obvious tourist in parts of Jakarta, and never encountered a problem. However, I try to use common sense.
See, that's just what I mean. You travel a lot, you take common sense precautions and, as a result, you don't have problems. That's exactly my point. I travel with expensive cameras but I, too, carry only a photocopy of my passport, use an inside-the-pants money belt for my credit cards and large cash, stay aware of who and what is around me, etc. I'm aware of the various "gypsy" scams (which are not limited to gypsies), never leave my camera gear unattended, etc.
Remember, the OP is asking about Rome, for crying out loud -- a center of civilization for thousands of years, home of the sophisticated fashion and food world, a great artistic center, and not, by any stretch of the imagination, a third-world country. If you're going to visit the Trevi Fountain, don't keep a fat wallet stuffed with credit cards on your hip. That's also true if you're going to walk through Times Square. To suggest, however, that Rome is particularly dangerous is just silly. As you note: common sense. That's all it takes.