easytraveler

I heard recently that as seasoned a traveler as Rick Steves had fallen victim to this scam. So, I went onto the Rick Steves website and found out that it was true!

Check out Steves' Graffitti Wall and the posting by Bob Sheldon on 7/28/2004 titled "Euro, Lira Confusion".

In essence, the new 2 euro coin (worth over $2 US) looks like the old 500 lira coin (worth nothing). Apparently Rick Steves came home with a pocket full of 500 lira coins.

Anyone else heard or read of this scam?

RandyK

Yup, heard about it from the in-laws when they had the same problem. Lucky for them that they only had about 20 of the coins---nothing but souvenirs now!

Patrick

I'm confused. How could someone end up with 20 or more of these coins? As soon as you had two or three of them wouldn't you be trying to spend them or trade them in for paper bills? Who would accumulate 20 big coins while traveling? Or in Rick's case, apparently even more of them.
Sort of like saying, I came home from my trip with 40 dollars worth of quarters in my pocket. Why would anyone do that without spending them as they went along? Am I missing something here?

Betsy

Here are the facts (adapted from Rick's site): The old 500 lira coin (worth about $.25 before the Euro made it worthless in 2001) is the same size and design (silver outer ring with inlaid copper middle) as the new 2 Euro coin (worth $2.50). Countless tourists are finding the old 500 lira coins in their pockets. Each one you take costs you $2.50 and the only person dumb enough to take it from you is another tourist. Europeans never touch a coin the size of a 2 Euro without verifying that it is actually 2 Euro.

A neat use for those old L500 coins is to back them with a magnet and use them as refrigerator magnets. Beautiful.

easytraveler

There you go, Betsy!

And then we can sell those refrigerator magnets for $2.50 apiece!

Patrick

But that doesn't answer my question. The first time an unsuspecting tourist would try to spend one, he'd find out what they were. And why would someone keep getting all these coins without trying to spend one?

ira

Sounds like an urban myth to me, too.

Cheat me once, shame on you.

Cheat me twice, shame on me.

PatrickLondon

Maybe someone was trying to unload their unsold fridge magnets...

Betsy

I read the info that was posted on the Rick Steves site, but I didn't see any reference to the fact that he came home with a pocketful coins. While he's not always the sharpest knife in the drawer, let's give the guy a little more credit than that

111op

Where does it say that RS came back with a pocket full of lira coins?

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti11.html

All I see is this:
"Editor's Note: Sad but true. The Lira scam mentioned below is not only true, it even happened to Rick this summer! Stay tuned for a full report in our upcoming August Travel News."

Does someone have the August Travel News?

brookwood

In Italy I learned to always look for a scam. My introduction was on the platform of the rail station in Verona.
I missed my train to Venice because the Italians were fighting in the doorway and no one could get on or off. Typical Italian fight; it was mostly pushing, shoving, and hitting people with rolled up newspapers. But I had to get off the train through the window.

By the time I did that, my connecting train to Venice was in motion. So, I had to wait. A vendor pushing a cart came along and I wanted a Coke. I asked him, in German. He gave me the price, then he looked at my shoes, said "Americano", and raised the price 30%. I protested, and he walked off.

I went elsewhere in the station and completed the purchase.

Patrick

brookwood, are you aware that the fight you witnessed was most likely also a "scam"? That is a common ploy --pretend to fight and push and shove in a doorway so unsuspecting tourists trying to get off or on the train have to pass through you. In the midst of that pushing and shoving, they pick the pockets of those trying to pass through. You're lucky you didn't try to get through.

easytraveler

The part about the "pocket full" came from my verbal source, who reported that it was in the Dallas Morning News, Travel Section, about a couple of weeks ago.

The Dallas Morning News story came from a warning communique from Rick Steves' office to the travel editor.

Didn't mean to imply that Rick is not sharp, just that the best of us can get scammed sometimes!

111op

Just curious -- I don't have an opinion on RS, but I am also curious about how someone can be scammed this way repeatedly.

Thanks for clarifying!

kismetchimera

I believe that RS want s to have free publicity..Nobody can be that naive..