Tourists face 'nightmares' of scams and theft in France, Spain and Italy

France, Spain and Italy top the list of countries with the highest rates of tourist fraud on the continent, according to a recent study published by Quotezone.

Tourist taxes are currently capped at a maximum of 5 euros in Italy's popular tourist cities - Photo: INDEPENDENT

Dream trips to Europe's most popular destinations are turning into nightmares for many travelers.

According to the 2023 Scam Index Research Report by Quotezone - a global online travel safety and convenience site, France, Spain and Italy are the three countries with the highest travel scam index in Europe.

Greg Wilson, managing director of Quotezone (UK), said: “Unfortunately, this research shows that hundreds of holidaymakers visit Quotezone only to complain about being scammed at Europe’s top holiday destinations.

Tourist hotspots are the focus for anyone looking to target tourists."

Organized theft

Food and drink overcharging in Italy has become a serious problem that has upset many tourists.

The story of Simon - aneducation expert - on a business trip to Milan and surrounding cities last week is a typical example. From the moment he set foot in Milan, Simon encountered a series of disappointing problems.

Before the trip, he paid a deposit to reserve a petrol car for the long journey from Milan to the surrounding areas through a popular Italian app. However, when he arrived, he was informed that the booked car was no longer available and that the only option was an electric car.

Because it was not suitable for long-distance travel, Simon did not accept the alternative and requested to cancel the contract and refund the deposit, but the lessor refused.

During the two-hour wait, he witnessed many other customers having similar problems, causing the rental car company to lose control and cause arguments. In the end, Simon was forced to rent a car from another German company at a higher price.

Not only that, on the same day Simon and his colleagues stopped at a luxury restaurant in the city of Parma.

He ordered a grilled chicken breast with salad for 40 euros (in Germany it costs around 15-20 euros) but received a small piece of chicken less than a quarter of a hand thinly decorated with a few sprigs of salad. What was even more frustrating was that he had to pay an "incomprehensible" surcharge of up to 35% for this meal.

Kate Storm, a popular American travel blogger on Europe, has warned tourists to be wary of service charges of "coperto", "servizio" and tips in Italian restaurants. These three charges are different and diners may be charged all three.

Coperto is a per person charge that goes under the guise of bread and condiments, or even a seat charge. This is a fixed fee, even if no bread is used, the customer still has to pay per person, usually 1-3 euros/person or more depending on the luxury of the restaurant.

Servizio is a small fee for cleaning and table setting, listed at the top or bottom of the menu, and is 10-15% of the total bill. In addition, a tip of 10-15%, although not mandatory, is customary, especially in high-end restaurants, where it is almost mandatory.

In France, the situation is even worse, with theft out of control. According to a study by Quotezone of 50 popular European tourist destinations, France has 4 out of the 5 highest-ranked tourist destinations for fraud.

“The iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris received nearly half as many scam mentions as the other 49 tourist attractions,” Wilson said.

Zaidi, a UK entrepreneur with over 15 years of travel experience, shares his frustrating and confusing visit to Paris for Easter 2023.

He was robbed of his bag in broad daylight by two men in Montmartre, one of Paris's busiest tourist spots. He immediately went to the police to complain, but they were of no help.

"After leaving the police station, I saw the same two men robbing Chinese tourists in the same way and told three police officers who passed by. They thanked me for reporting the incident but did nothing, not even bothering to chase the robbers," Zaidi said.

He advises that when in Paris, take precautions to protect yourself, such as being careful with valuables because if you are robbed or pickpocketed, no one will help.

A diner’s bill at an Italian restaurant in February 2024 was posted on Tripadvisor. The diner was upset because he did not speak English or Italian and was charged 90 euros for a plate of children’s spaghetti, with the restaurant claiming the child had finished the entire 1kg bowl. In addition, two “coperto” fees for adults and children, as well as a 12% “servizio” fee, were also included in the total bill - Photo: ALLAN

Sweet traps

With so much damage to pay, Australian travel insurance company Travel Insurance Direct has been forced to warn customers about the sweet traps when traveling in Spain.

Typically, parking lot scams involve approaching tourists in the friendliest way possible, such as helping them park or asking for directions, then distracting their victims to steal items from their vehicles.

More daring are the fake police tactics of asking for identification or searching bags and taking valuables and personal information. Even more common are fraudulent booking sites that act as a trap for customers' money and personal information.

Sophia, a student at UNC, fell victim to a “flower pin” scam when she first arrived in Spain for an academic exchange. She said she was walking in downtown Barcelona when a friendly woman gave her a flower pin.

It was that friendliness that made her let her guard down and accept the item, but immediately after that, she was asked for money for the item. Sophia immediately returned it without buying it, but received a fierce backlash. Just a few minutes later, she was even more shocked when she discovered that her wallet, which contained her identification documents, was missing.

After a year of exchange studying in Spain, Sophia found that it was the worst country for money scams in Europe, with so many scams set up to target unsuspecting foreigners.

Effective prevention

To protect themselves from scams, travelers need to be aware of common tricks and take appropriate precautions.

In restaurants, in popular tourist spots, there will be restaurants that offer two prices - a low price for locals and a high price for tourists. So it is best to check the prices and ask about extras before ordering, ask for a detailed bill and check carefully before paying.

With taxis, if you are not careful, drivers will charge double or even more. Use a licensed taxi stand, negotiate a fare or check the meter for zero before setting off.

A safer and simpler way is to use famous taxi calling apps that both ensure transparent fares and come with preferential promotions.

For public luggage storage, stops such as train stations, bus stations and tourist attractions often have lockers to store suitcases and belongings for visitors to use at their convenience. This is an ideal opportunity for scammers to try to sell fake keys - make sure you always rent them from an official source.

Scammers will approach tourists with a variety of friendly tactics such as giving gifts, offering to take photos or helping solve small problems that can catch tourists off guard. The best way to avoid carrying too much cash is to keep your bank cards in a locked bag and within sight.

Finally, regarding attraction tickets, make sure to pre-book tickets for the attractions you use at official websites to save time, avoid queuing in crowded places, and be careful about sharing personal information to avoid being exploited.

PHUONG NGUYEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khach-du-lich-ac-mong-voi-nan-lua-dao-an-cap-tai-phap-tay-ban-nha-va-y-20250601225130845.htm