Italy is not only a desirable destination for tourists from all over the world, but also, as you know, the “homeland” of the mafia. There is a suspicion that it was not without the intervention of crime that a new way of deceiving tourists appeared, reports eTurboNews.
One of the victims of the new cunning scheme of intruders in Italy was the Australian journalist Ian McIntosh. According to him, everything happened when he, along with his comrades, made a bus trip to the Livorno railway station.
Upon boarding the bus, the tourists tried to activate the travel cards, but it turned out that the validator (a device for checking travel tickets) was not working. However, the “good-natured” bus driver allowed the group to enter, adding that the device sometimes malfunctioned.
“Soon, large men dressed as transport control officers burst into the salon at one of the stops, and the driver nodded at us. These thugs in the tough form demanded to show passports and tickets, which, of course, were not activated. For this, every one of us was fined 17 euros,” said the Australian.
The passengers agreed to pay the fine with credit cards. However, later it turned out that 40 euros had been withdrawn from each. A group of travelers from Australia is convinced that the bus driver took an active part in the scam.
As the newspaper notes, such a scheme of deception has just begun to spread in Italian cities popular with tourists.