rome cab scams

Years ago, after arriving in Rome very tired after a week road tripping in Sicily, we were scammed the same way. It was actually very slick! But I guess it is not on,y Rome taxi drivers who can do this slight of hand.

i wouldn’t go back to rome. it’s really changed

Your opinion, and your perspective, Joan. We've taken multiple cabs in Rome, but have always negotiated the price upfront, and then--as I do in any environment, even in the States--I hold my money while saying 'this is 20 (or 40 or whatever)' and await acknowledgement before handing the cash to the driver. This takes away any thought by the driver (or cashier) of trying anything funny.

But don't malign the people in Roma for one (or two) sleight-of-hand experiences--that's ludicrous.

Jay—that’s exactly what Joan also told people they need to do. Good lesson for all. This is a way of dealing with cash payments we should use all the time. Thanks both of you.
Certainly being of Italian heritage, you are more at ease in Rome than most of us, Jay.

This thread should just be called "cab scams" because it happens worldwide. There's nothing distinctly Roman about it. Some cabbies take advantage of people who appear tired and vulnerable, and less likely to push back and challenge them.

I remember the first time I was scammed. It was 1974..I was in Baltimore for the first time. I had to get from one rail yard to another. I was a kid from Podunk NY and did not have much taxi experience. On about the third pass by the same area I realized that the driver was making the trip just a bit longer for me. I've been pretty alert to cab scams ever since..I've seen them in almost every country I ever been in...but the worst are here in the US. The New York City airport cab drivers are legendary rip-off artists..
In Rome I don't ever use cabs except to get to or from the airport. With such good public transportation available there is rarely a need. A local driver referral with a set price will help you avoid problems.
Always check the meter when you get in a cab and make sure they set it.

For those of us who have yet to visit Rome, I found this article about how to take Italian taxis. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.walksofitaly.com/blog/florence/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help/amp
Hope it helps keep the scammers at bay.

That's a helpful article but leaves out the very good tip that the OP shared. (It's one I always tell friends about before they go to Italy, although I'm sure it happens all over the world.)

...... Always check the meter when you get in a cab and make sure they set it....... Be careful of blanket advice. In Italy if a cab is called, the meter starts with the call so it will have a few euros on the meter when you get in. Of course, it is zero when you get in at a cab stand. In the old days before the Euro, I was always asking when I pulled out the money, "Is this a 20 or 50 or ?" Old habit, sometimes I do it in the US. And the clerk says, "Yes, I know!!!"

I speak Italian and when we enter the cab I start gabbing in Italian. When it is time to pay I always firmly tell the cabbie the denomination in Italian of the bill I'm giving he/she. I realize not everyone speaks the language, but it could be useful to learn the Italian words for numbers.

Although, even though they know I know, I'm sure we've taken the "giro turistico" many times to reach our destination.

Buon viaggio,

Well, we’re French, we’re native speakers but the Bordeaux airport taxi driver got us by not resetting the meter! So yes—check it. Admittedly, we were on the freeway within seconds with our bags in the trunk after a trans-Atlantic—but we were suckered big time. BTW, other taxi drivers who heard about this from us were livid. They’re having a hard enough time making a living without bad players ruining their reputation.

Certainly being of Italian heritage, you are more at ease in Rome than
most of us, Jay.

I wasn't going to respond, Bets, but whattheheck, let's examine that statement a bit...

First off, yes, I'm of Italian descent, only half but I don't broadcast that! But even if I wasn't Italian, I'd still operate the same way, whether I'm in Italy, France, Germany or Switzerland. With money exchanges, I simply don't let my guard down, even for a minute...even at the McDonald's drive-through here in town! And as Sandra has stated upthread, there a lot of distractions in Rome, on either side of the transaction. I do think that some of these missteps are honest mistakes, which is why I eliminate that possibility (for the most part) with these precautions. This practice should be a 'sticky' for all those traveling abroad, to be honest.

Sure, I love Rome. But I'm not a naive idiot about it. I worked in Chicago for 35 years, and have learned to have the antennae up at all times, and from that have developed a sixth sense for danger. And wandering around the Eternal City at most all hours of the day & night, I am heartened and gratified by how safe the place appears to be. Now, I'm not going to wander some areas around the Tiber or Termini at 3AM, but for the most part the neighborhoods I've seen are cool, chill, with locals minding their own business--the way it should be. It's the drunk tourists I want to avoid!