Avoid This Common Photo Scam Too Many Tourists Fall For While Visiting Rome

Thirty-five million people visited Rome in 2023. Maybe you were one of them, or you plan on going in the near future. The Eternal City is full of incredible historic sights like the Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the museums full of artifacts, or the Spanish Steps. It's a pretty good bet you'll stop by the Colosseum (above) where gladiators once fought battles for the adoration (or scorn) of the roaring crowds. While waiting in line to see this piece of history, or as you leave, you may see people dressed up as those gladiators. In fact, you may want a picture with them. That's what they show up there for, however, these pictures are anything but free. 

Like the "free gift" scam where you're offered a rose or other item and then harassed to pay for it, and fake taxis overcharging you for a trip from the airport, the gladiator picture scam is one you should avoid, no matter how tempting or safe it seems. In fact, it isn't even legal for these people to be doing what they're doing. As tempting as it is to get a cute selfie with a good-looking guy in an ancient uniform, it can actually be dangerous. 

Real gladiators were banned in the Roman Empire by Emperor Honorius in 404 B.C.E. While the gladiator photo scam was outlawed permanently in 2017 (there were temporary bans before), we were in Rome in late 2023, and they were all over the area around the Colosseum. While you may have fond memories of "Friends" character Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) dressing as a gladiator at a Las Vegas casino, these photo hounds can be really aggressive. In fact, in 2022, three men were arrested for allegedly dressing up as gladiators and asking people for paid photographs. They were then said to have harassed and threatened harm to tourists who didn't pay up, and forced them to hand over some money. It's not worth putting yourself in danger for a picture with a person in a costume.

Those fake gladiators were risking a lot to try this scam. According to the law, a person who dresses as a gladiator or historical figure and takes pictures with tourists for money will be fined around $450. Repeat offenders can be temporarily banned from public spaces. In addition, the law set penalties for those organizing pub crawls for tourists, selling alcohol after 2 a.m., or swimming in, eating near, or climbing on fountains. (Definitely don't try filling your water bottle at a fountain, particularly at the Trevi Fountain, as one tourist recently tried to do. Italy has wonderful free public fountains for that.) 

There are different versions of this grift. We mentioned the rose scam, but there are other ones that are frequent in Rome (and other major cities) like someone who offers to help you with a train ticket machine and harasses you for money after, or the unofficial tour guide who says they can get you a much better deal if you go somewhere else with them. You get scammed and you lose your place in line for tickets. Your best bet is always to err on the side of caution and common sense, meaning if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. A stranger is very unlikely to offer you help or a free picture or flower for no reason. The same goes for another scam, which is purchasing an inexpensive "name brand" item that ends up being a fake. It's easy to forget all of this while you're relaxed on vacation in a very romantic city. 

In addition, make sure you keep your eyes open for pickpockets. Take precautions like having a bag with straps you can't cut through, not carrying valuables with you, and having copies off all your travel documents in your email or a dedicated photo album in your phone in case they're taken. Before you leave for vacation, it's also worth having Italy's emergency number (which is 112), the medical emergency number (118), and the one for the local police (113) pre-programmed into your phone, just in case.