What scams should I watch out for in Rome?

Four scams dominate Rome and knowing them in advance makes them trivially easy to avoid. The "friendship bracelet" operates near the Colosseum and Spanish Steps: a man ties a bracelet onto your wrist before you can refuse, then demands payment and blocks your exit with accomplices. Walk past with your hand in your pocket or wave them off firmly without slowing down. The fake petition is common around major monuments: someone thrusts a clipboard at you, and while you're distracted, an accomplice picks your pocket. Never touch the clipboard. Near the Trevi Fountain and Vatican, "gladiators" and costumed characters offer free photos, then aggressively demand 10-20 euros once you've posed. Treat them like traffic. Finally, unlicensed taxi drivers solicit fares outside Termini station; licensed cabs are white, display a municipality number on the door, and always run a meter. The city itself is not dangerous, but these four scenarios account for the overwhelming majority of tourist complaints filed at the central police station on Via Genova.

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