Rome Spanish Step ATM

[itsjb1]

Just a heads up or areminder to be very cautious when using an ATM especially in crowded tourist areas. We were in Rome last week and used one of the ATMs near the bottom of the Spanish Steps. The European screens are a bit different than the North American screens when your card is inserted and we encountered some difficulties. At this point a couple of people steped in to "help" . One of them casually covered the card slot while trying to help. When we tried to get the card out of the ATM it was not there. One person spoke up very quickly that it appeared that the "helper" passed the card on to his buddy. My wife started to scream and cause a commotion. This caused the guys to panic and when the helper tried to help us get the card out of the machine, he casually covered the slot again, and the card appeared. The 2 guys then left , and after disappearing around the corner, they ran like hell. At this point someone from down the lane and 3 cops who saw the guys running, came over to see if everything was okay.

 

So,if anyone is getting too close to you and to the ATM when you are trying to use it, please be cautious.

[cruisemom42]

A good warning, and one that applies anywhere, really, abroad and at home. Do not let anyone offer to help you at an ATM, or at point-of-purchase machines, like electronic ticket machines at railways and metro stations where you might use a credit card.

 

Occasionally someone may truly be an altruistic stranger, but do you want to take a chance?