Wow, lincasanova, I just read about your experience! We will be traveling through Belgium by train this summer. I'm glad I read your post -- thanks for sharing. I am now very aware.

An innocent one, but memorable.

We were eating in a small eatery on the Amalfi Coast, run by a big man in a wife-beater tank top who seemed to have a lot of "visitors" to his kitchen. The menu averaged 8-12 euros for main courses, and given the platic chair setting, the price was right. We were asked if we wanted the "special", which was a small white fish with pasta. I said yes and it was good, though it was a small meditteranean fish. When the bill arrived, the "special" was something like 24 euros and cost more than everything else combined. When we argued he just pointed at the plate and said "fresh fish" and shrugged. Hardly a scam, and a funny memory, but never will I not ask for the price of the special.

We were charged "admission" to get onto one of the island churches in Venice. I knew in the back of my mind that this was wrong, but the lady looked very official. Everyone was paying. About 10 minutes after we entered, we heard loud voices and one person was refusing to pay. After that, the lady went away.

Will someone tell me what the gold ring scam is??

<u>Debbiekep2</u> - Here you go:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-ring-scam.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ing-scam-1.cfm

Tourists are fair game for scams in Rome. We are tourists, so naturally fair game. We were stung in the most memorable fashion a couple of years ago, when we managed to purchase a pair of leather jackets (“I’m on my way home from the Milan fashion shows, where are you from?, my sister lives in Adelaide, I’ve lost half my map of Rome (shows half map), can you direct me to the bank, my Visa card is broken (shows Visa card with broken corner), here take these two leather jackets – they are just samples, I don’t need them, could you spot me 50 Euro, I’m about out of petrol (points to petrol gauge)”. 50 Euro for two leather jackets – unbelievable, and they had an Italian label – pasted over the other label that said “Made in Beijing”. A few polyvinyl chlorides were killed and their skins tanned to make those jackets. And he was right when he thanked us for our help – “you’ll never forget me”, he said. We haven’t.

So we were chuffed on our next trip to Rome, two years later, when a guy pulled up, asking to be directed to the Tiber – all of 50 metres away, bridge in full view, jackets in plastic bags on the back seat. Anticipation of sweet revenge. Same dialogue, up to the point when we were advised that his sister lived in Perth. And then he drove off – he must have spotted Lou’s grin as she poked me in the ribs. Damn. Hate that.

Tourists are fair game for scams in Rome. We are tourists, so naturally fair game. We were stung in the most memorable fashion a couple of years ago, when we managed to purchase a pair of leather jackets (“I’m on my way home from the Milan fashion shows, where are you from?, my sister lives in Adelaide, I’ve lost half my map of Rome (shows half map), can you direct me to the bank, my Visa card is broken (shows Visa card with broken corner), here take these two leather jackets – they are just samples, I don’t need them, could you spot me 50 Euro, I’m about out of petrol (points to petrol gauge)”. 50 Euro for two leather jackets – unbelievable, and they had an Italian label – pasted over the other label that said “Made in Beijing”. A few polyvinyl chlorides were killed and their skins tanned to make those jackets. And he was right when he thanked us for our help – “you’ll never forget me”, he said. We haven’t.

So we were chuffed on our next trip to Rome, two years later, when a guy pulled up, asking to be directed to the Tiber – all of 50 metres away, bridge in full view, jackets in plastic bags on the back seat. Anticipation of sweet revenge. Same dialogue, up to the point when we were advised that his sister lived in Perth. And then he drove off – he must have spotted Lou’s grin as she poked me in the ribs. Damn. Hate that.

If scamming, skimming and general thieving are a little quieter than usual in Europe at the moment, here's a possible explanation - yet another couple of alleged credit card and ATM skimmers from Eastern Europe arrested in Sydney -

http://tinyurl.com/d7jd5g