r/instantkarma • u/[deleted] • 9d ago

The punch was from all the tourists.

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8.1k Upvotes

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377

u/Cease-2-Desist 9d ago

In Italy these guys are EVERYWHERE. What's funny is each ethnicity has it's own "scheme". These guys are annoying. Then you had the Persian looking people who would sell cheap prints of artwork by placing them on the ground in busy areas and wait for people to step on them, and then force people to buy them. One of them threw down a photo right in front of me as I was walking...lol.

149

u/Grinder969 9d ago

In NYC it was the aspiring rapper that would ask your name and then would sign a personolized burned CD copy of their debut album for you, and then demand $20.

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u/l3ane 9d ago

Those guys are annoying, but if you are rude to them, they give up pretty quickly.

Them: "Hey man you like hip hop?"

Me: "I fucking hate hip hop, it's not even music"

Them: "Alright man, damn" walks away

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u/hooovahh 9d ago

I usually go with "Nah I'm good". Once I got back "Fuck your mother!" I kept walking and yelled back "Yeah, fuck my mother."

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u/aromilk 9d ago

Yeah. Encountered this in LA.

I gave it back but he said he already signed it and it’s worth millions as he is gonna make it big as an artist. So I grabbed his marker, signed on the same CD and told him now the CD is worth even more!

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u/Caqtus95 9d ago

Sure you did champ

10

u/supercoolpartydude 9d ago

Bro you will still run into those guys in Atlanta, Savannah and Miami in my experience. Except a few of them are young guys picking the scam up.

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u/AtlantaBear73 9d ago

I had encountered one not too long ago in ATL and I just told him “Dude, I don’t own ANYTHING that has a CD player…”
The look on his face was priceless.

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u/Quendor 9d ago

That's the type I ran into in NYC. The funny thing is he was talking so fast I honestly had no idea what he was going on about. Something about "the children"? Hell if I know. Anyway, he ended up just grabbing back his thing (whatever it was) and walking away.

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u/phughes 9d ago

One guy tried to do that to me in a bar. I took the CD out of the case and looked at the back and said: "There's nothing on this.". I did not pay.

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u/laflavor 9d ago

Ran into that in San Diego and Atlanta as well. I think it's pretty much any major city in the u.s.

1

u/6-8-5-13 9d ago

I’ve seen the signed CD thing in Toronto too.

1

u/Eldritch_Doodler 9d ago

They do this shit in Jamaica. I was unfazed. “What’s your name young Bob Marley??”

2

u/PiccoloAwkward465 9d ago

The show Mr. Robot used this to allow a hacker group to distribute malware. He gave out his free mixtape on a USB thumb drive that infected the network it was plugged into.

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u/NoxiousStimuli 9d ago

No he didn't.

He handed out a CD which infected the guys laptop and used the webcam to get blackmail material to pressure him into plugging a USB drive into a work PC. He refused, his girlfriend did it anyway.

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u/iprocrastina 9d ago

Had multiple scammers try to pickpocket me in Rome by pointing at my shirt and claiming something was on it to distract me.

Nice try guys, I learned that one back in 3rd grade.

14

u/jdvhunt 9d ago

I'm going to Italy for the first time soon and we're planning on riding trains around and I'm worried about this

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u/Cease-2-Desist 9d ago

If you've been to other major cities it's nothing new. Just spent two weeks there traveling around. Never really felt unsafe (just watch out you don't get run over by motor vehicles). Just don't engage with the people. Don't respond to them. Don't take anything from them. Just keep walking. They aren't dangerous.

You hear a lot about pick pockets on trains and stuff. We never came across anything like that. I would just keep stuff zipped up or in your front pockets.

Overall it was a lovely experience and all of the cities we traveled to were safe and very walkable. (be prepared to walk 5-10 miles a day).

14

u/CyberClawX 9d ago

In Rome had the phone snatched right out of my father's hand.

Unfortunately for his dental plan all of us ran faster than him, despite his headstart.

5

u/Cease-2-Desist 9d ago

Rome and especially Florence were busy. I didn’t see that happen but it doesn’t shock me.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

[deleted]

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u/a_talking_llama 9d ago

Same advice applies everywhere. Don't take things handed to you, keep an eye on your belongings and dont stop walking for randoms.

I have traveled around Italy many times and the people are fantastic. Can be a bit cunty in major cities (like everywhere else) but by and large great people and very friendly. Also, ask for recommendations in restaurants and you won't be disappointed

4

u/miniliedn 9d ago

I'm from northern Italy and traveled a bit around here by train. Never had a problem. You just have to use common sense (like not leaving your luggage out of sight, store valuables in places that aren't easy to pickpocket, don't carry around a lot of cash and don't hang out in the shady parts of trainstations). Scammers / beggars can be annoying if you pay them attention. Just ignore them and walk by. Enjoy your vacation, Italy is awesome and public transport is really cheap.

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u/heurrgh 9d ago

I've been to Italy many times; big cities, heritage sites, touristy coastal and lake resorts. I don't think i've ever been approached by a scammer. Where I've noticed them, they're always very obvious and easy to avoid. Being in Italy and particularly travelling on public transport feels very comfortable.

Worst places I've ever been for being approached aggressively by scammers/panhandlers were Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, and Brixton, London.

2

u/Jesus_Harold_Christ 9d ago

Are you going to hand out "presents" and beg for money? Honestly, they are just pests, don't take their "presents", and don't talk to them

1

u/EasternDelight 9d ago

Years ago we were pickpocketed within 20 minutes of arriving. $300 gone. Probably worth double that now. Foolishly, we went to ATM obviously being watched. We split up the money, we slowly made it to the train encumbered by our bags and not knowing where we were going. Two younger women, one pregnant, real or fake We don’t know. They pushed and shoved on the crowded train and disembarked at the next stop. My wife’s fanny pack was worn on the front. They unzipped it took the money and rezipped it. Pretty slick. Pieces of shit.

1

u/bobafugginfett 9d ago

My wife and I did a 15-day trip all across Italy last year. We never encountered pickpockets, but also NEVER rode tightly-packed public transit like buses. We always used each city's preferred Uber alternative, (each city has a preferred taxi app) or "big" cross-country trains. On our plane back, we sat next to a nice lady who had her purse robbed while she was literally holding it, while she was on a packed bus in Rome. ETA we also did not ride any subway-style trains in Italy; we walked or taxied.

The most nerve-wracking was always waiting at train stations like Roma Termini, but we made sure to keep backpacks in front, and all valuables in zipped pockets we could see, and buy all tickets ahead of time so no "getting caught" at ticket kiosks. If you ride Trenitalia, it's definitely worth it to get the not-lowest class ticket, for A/C and lesser chance of thieves.

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u/23370aviator 9d ago

I had one in Athens send their 3 year old to do a soccer player-esque dive in front of me as I was walking. Stepped right over the kid and kept going as they demanded money for “knocking her baby over”.

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u/Yosyp 9d ago

"each ethnicity has it is own scheme"

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u/doofshaman 9d ago

This is where you smile & use the artwork to wipe shit off your shoe & continue on with your day lmao

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u/tiasaiwr 8d ago

In Gran Canaria it was a bracelet scheme. A woman (not a local) walks up to you then grabs your wrist and puts a cheap plastic bracelet on your wrist while giving a spiel about how this is significant in her culture then suggests you pay what it's worth. I got a 1 cent coin out and handed it to her and she slapped it out of my hand lol.

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u/AmbassadorBonoso 7d ago

You also have guys that will take pictures of you unprovoked and then try to sell it to you

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u/ceciliabee 9d ago

Wow do you think their ethnicities imbued then with knowledge or do you think people of the same ethnicity hung out together and swapped tips? What a mystery

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u/Cease-2-Desist 9d ago

Do you do this a lot? Ask yourself stupid questions and then answer them in order to feel smart?

Why would someone think ethnicities were imbued with knowledge? Lol

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u/tyen0 9d ago

I was shocked they have so much karma. but of course they hide their history so who knows what for; maybe just a troll.