Destinations › Italy › Milan › Scams
Milan, Italy
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Milan, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Pigeon-feed and trinket sellers in the cathedral square pressing seed or items into hands and then demanding money.
Pickpocketing on the metro and around the cathedral square, often using a staged jostle at the carriage doors as the train departs.
Bracelet sellers around the cathedral square working visitors taking photographs, tying a band on and then demanding payment.
Short-let listings during fashion and trade-fair weeks taking deposits for properties unavailable on arrival.
Dynamic currency conversion at card terminals and independent cash machines at poor rates.
Fake ticket inspectors on public transport demanding an on-the-spot cash fine. Genuine inspectors carry identification and issue documentation.
Touts selling attraction and last-supper viewing tickets at large markups or that are invalid.
Counterfeit branded fashion sold near the station and in street markets as genuine, with purchase itself an offence for the buyer under local rules.
Drivers taking extended routes from the airports and stations, and applying surcharges outside their applicable hours.
Restaurants near the cathedral and central station adding coperto plus service and items not ordered to bills.
