chicagolori

I do think the comments were unsympathetic and perhaps a bit naive - as though this could never happen to you and only could happen to someone else who might not be as vigilant...

I live in downtown Chicago and am very vigilant while driving and walking around town. Does that mean I am immune from some sort of crime or accident because I am oh so worldly ? No way -

I for one have not heard of this particular scam and appreciate the warning. I might indeed recognize it in the future.

But as for being smug about this being a well known event - I don't consider keeping up with every new scam, crime, fraud, or con a badge of honor either.

bettyk

nytraveler, God forbid you ever let down your guard and somebody takes advantage of you. Of course, if it happens, I doubt we'll hear about hear at Fodor's.

mojopdx

Thank you soooo much for posting this. The exact same thing happened to us in the first wk of October in Milan. Probably the same 2 guys, on scooter, another walking, both trying to get us to go to "a garage closeby." My husband walked around the corner to see if he could see this "garage" & that's when they guys moved on me, tried to grab a bag from one side of the car & when I stopped him, the other guy got my husband's pouch from the passenger floor, with passport, credit card & driver's license. & yes... we always carry these on us, but had just taken it out because we were returning the car & within a mile of the train station / rental car offices. & yes, regardless of how often this happens in Milan, the US consulate also told us it was the #2, #3 type of tourist scam there. I posted this info on multiple sites just to warn folks & was mercilessly trolled. So thank you! I also just wanted folks to be aware. Had we know ahead of time, my husband would never have stepped away, even for a minute & we would have kept one of us inside the car or moved our things to the trunk. It won't stop us from renting a car again, we do it all the time, but just wish we could've been forewarned. Thanks again for your post!

Kathie

mojopdx, did you notice that the post your replied to is 10 years old?

xcountry

This is what NYetc was referring to - events in Miami a mere 14-15 years before the OP posted in 2007.

xcountry

Oops it’s early:

http://people.com/archive/strangers-...-39-no-16/amp/

Viajero2

This is a 2007 post but thievery and scams in Italy are alive and well; actually it has gotten much worse. There are cities in Italy (i.e. Naples and Rome) where tourists are literally just prey and always in open season. Milan has worsened and so has Florence. A pity.

Certainly a timeless, valuable lesson can be learned from this post and anybody dismissing it as a "10 year post" is just a prime candidate to be the next one scammed in Italy.

BigRuss

There are plenty of resources about scams in Italy and Spain and other countries, therefore this old post doesn't need resurrection. Fodors can always set up an old post as archival and stop comments, like TA does.

vincenzo32951

I'm going to add a post to make sure it's resurrected.
I'm pro-resurrection.

janisj

Mojo from Portland must have had some VERY bad luck. Only posts are about a (non) scam with their rental car, and this one. Must have been a very unhappy trip . . .