In response to tuscanlifeedit: Since the OP has yet to repost, we have no idea how much money she actually spent on/for this woman. Maybe it was worth a few hours time!

The OP sounds like a VERY kind person to have spent several hours with this woman and her problems. I thought the woman sounded a little too helpless to be traveling alone, for Heavens sake!

Hi Terri,

Just to let you know that it doesn't only happen in big cities like Rome, I got ripped off in Lake Como, of all places!

I'm a travel agent, and a pretty saavy traveller if I do say so myself, and yet I was relieved of my video camera (not exactly a small item), walking along at a brisk pace, with my husband next to me, not in a crowd, there was no "bump and grab", no distraction, nothing. And yet, when I arrived at the train station to check my ticket for Venice the next day...video camera gone. The expression on my face, opening the bag would have been a winner on America's Funniest Videos if anyone was filming me (no doubt with my own camera)!

The bottom line...these people are GOOD at what they do! Later in the day I talked to an Aussie I met and she visited Italy in the off season regularly and had her BUS FARE taken from one of the pockets in her 501 jeans under about 2 layers of clothing!
I'm telling 'ya...they're good!

I now carry a sort of "soft sided" nylon briefcase sort of thingie (hard to describe). It's got 2 plastic clips on it and my husband "modified" it with velcro as well, so if anyone makes it past the two clips, there's the telltale "riiiipppp" of the velco. I call it my Early Warning System!

Melodie

I think elaine is comparing apples to oranges, trying to equate a gun culture with a robbery act. Both are bad and evil. But one has nothing to do with the other. I would posit that very few if any foreign tourists in America are robbed at gunpoint and shot; hundreds if not thousands are robbed in Italy a year.

I don't shoot people and I don't rob people, therefore I am SUPERIOR to those criminals that do.

Sorry fellow fodorites I had a busy weekend helping my family and overcoming some sleep disturbance due to jet lag, I assume, so I wasn't able to respond to your replies.

For one, I am amazed at the different responses my post evoked. And being human, I understand them, but let me clear up that this woman from Lebanon was truly a victim. I gave her E5 and some change that I didn't count, it may have amounted to another E5. One of my sweet 19 year old tc's did the same. She already had a train ticket, the little theives didn't make off with that thankfully. Once in Termini, my two 19 year olds stayed with her and her luggage while I went to the TI to ask if they had an 800# for MC so she could attempt to cancel her debit card by phone. Once she attempted that, the 19 year olds stayed with her luggage while she and I went to 3 different Tabachi shops to get an international phone card that would work for Lebanon. Back with the luggage and my girls she tried using the phone and was unable to get a dial tone for Lebanon so I then messed with the card until I got her home phone ringing (that seemed a small miracle in itself). By the way, she used one of the E5's that we gave her to purchase the phone card. We left her after about 2 hours at the departure screen in the Termini, so she could determine which track her train was coming in on. Overall, I count it a blessing to have helped a fellow citizen of the world who may have been a naive traveler, but one who had a definite need. We left her with hugs, exchanged emails, and I left her with a changed heart towards people like her from the middle east who one day may be put in harms way because our governments at times may war with one another. She was dressed like me and not that much different from me, she spoke fairly good English, she definitely was NOT part of any scheme.

I also, don't want to blame the stealing children who had no choice to be born into their given families, but at some point and in an ideal world, it would be nice to "think" that there could be a stop to this preying upon travelers. On a subsequent subway ride I managed to look over the people traveling in a fairly crowded subway car and those clutching their belongings appeared to be Americans, English and Germans. The locals seems relaxed with theirs. Just my observation and ideally, if New York City can clean up the "threat" of petty crime, can't Rome? Maybe a greater police presence would help and maybe some change in laws would help. If my child was 10 or 12 and they stole anything from anyone, I'd be please to see the police show up at my door with my child in tow! And you better believe my child wouldn't sit down comfortably for a number of days, nor see their friends for a number of years, (jk)...etc, etc. Where are the consequences for our actions? Just some questions, don't mean to be opening up a can of worms here. But I tend to agree with Zues, I'm tired of living in a "politically correct" world where the blame for problems is passed around. For the future, as a traveler, I will think twice about spending my hard earned dollar in a city (or maybe country) who doesn't seem to care about the people visiting being preyed upon. And then...maybe I need a better understanding of the social economy of that country, I'm not certain.

terri58blue, thanks for clearing that up. I have read of various scams which involved supposed stranded travelers that were not from their claimed countries of origin. Another variant is claiming to be a refugee from a particular country, and the begger is not.

I just finished my six-week Italian language class. My teacher (born in Napoli, lived in Firenze) warned us several times of these 'Gypsy Thieves'. Her instructions match yours..pack light.. one bag, and carry money, credit card, passport in a money belt or tucked tightly in your bra! Everybody is a target, but they will hit the easy ones.

One man in the class told us he was mobbed (in Sienna) by about eight little kids, they made off with his backpack and the coat he was wearing! Another lady told us that her traveling partner had her backpack / purse wrapped around her waist and shoulders, but made the mistake of falling asleep on the train. During her slumber (in the middle of the day) somebody came by and cut the straps and stole her purse.. she didn't feel anything. Wasn't until she woke up that she realized she had been robbed.

Oh,and watch out for the kidney thieves,you may end up in a bathtub of ice with a telephone and a note saying "Call for an ambulance or you will die!"

Just use basic common sense. I saw all types of this in Italy, especially in Naples. Don't talk to anyone, get your money in order before stepping outdoors. make copies of your passport, trav. check serial numbers, plane tix, only get into official taxis--i could bore you with a story, but i wont, and be smart. if a 7 year old comes up to you and wants to help you with your luggage--tell her no, and move on.

For those of you who were suspicious of the Lebanese woman:

Don't you think it would have been a whole lot easier for a thief to simply steal someone's wallet (which is incredibly easy to do in Rome's subway), rather than dothis whole elaborate scenario just for couple of bucks? a wallet would probably have contained 50 euros or so!

And what are the odds that someone as good as terri would be watching this whole thing and also be willing to do everything she did for this woman?!! one in a million?

Nixon74, I wouldn't consider your story boring. Please consider sharing.

Terri--Thank you for being such a kind person! And thank you for posting--your warnings are necessary.

As a family we have traveled to Europe over 15 times now. With the exception of gendarmes nailing pickpockets on New Year's Eve of the Millennium in Paris (a thing to be expected!), all of our crime experiences were in Rome. We were in Florence for a week and were never victimized. In fact, our last taxi driver was adamant that my husband had made a mistake in overpaying him.

Let me say this once more--ALL in 15 trips in one city. Rome

Within six days, my husband was taken by an airport transportation scam, we were assailed (and survived intact) by four variations of the gypsy children scams, we experienced and did not countenance the "slow pay" at too many vendors to count, we experienced but did not fall for the "I love Americans, I have these suits I would love to give you" scam, and we finally had a riotous day observing the man outside the Forum who adapted his lost money story to each language and country with at least 20 victims in 1 hour. The only thing we didn't experience was being attacked on the subway. Why? We didn't ride it. Our friends who traveled with us did ride it and were attacked.

Like us, they travel to Europe frequently.

My point? I agree with Terri--the police in Rome do not feel that these actions are important. I truly resent the people who over and over again on this board blame victims instead of the criminals or the failure of police to halt the activity.

As to the Lebanese woman--had Terri been the victim of the stolen wallet as a result of charity, well, that's one thing. I would have been very skeptical. To immediately come to the conclusion that this poor woman caused the whole thing is back to that misplaced blame thing again.

And I want to make sure all who read this understand--I loved Rome and would return in an instant. Our week there was lovely. However, there's just no way around it--it was a crime-ridden trip and when we return I know that I must be on alert at all times.

Oh my goodness, I just read this. i see that it was posted sometime ago but, DONT BLAME THE CHILDREN????? This is their way of life. Abused I think not. We are suceptible to this crime because we see them as children. Adults never give kids enough credit for being able to come up with plans such as this.

Petty crime can and should be stopped in Europe. Round the creeps up and move them out. Fire the police who get kick-backs from thieves and con artists.

Brenball77, I was just thinking why those kind of crimes comitted by young children are uncommon here in Munich. I think the answer is simple: The parents are in fact held responsable for the actions of their children. In severe cases, they will br taken away from their parents. Sounds cruel?, or is it worse to spent one's life being a criminal?

Thanks for the remonder Terri. Thankfully I've never been pickpocketed in Europe, even when I was a naive young thing of 18 doing my backpacking, but I have had my bag stolen twice in London, and I'm a local, so it's not just tourists. (Both times were in pubs, by the way. Never put your bag under the table, even if you think no one can reach it without you spotting them. Keep it on your lap!)

>>>Sounds cruel?, or is it worse to spent one's life being a criminal?<<<

Absolutely. Well said logos!

Are the kidney thieves little Gypsy kids also? Where do they steal the ice?