Tourists often fall prey to scams, hustles, and pickpockets in major cities because they don’t know the local customs or language and may be too trusting. They’re easy marks for experienced scammers, so everyone should take precautions while travelling abroad no matter how street-smart they think they are.
Fabrizio Villari Moroni, who goes by describes himself as the “Italian in Paris,” recently fell victim to the “Friendship Bracelet Scam” at the Montmartre stairs in Paris, France and he took to TikTok to warn other tourists visiting the City of Light.
“I see this man coming up to me and it was very intimidating because he was a very big, tall man. He came to me and he said: ‘Take it, take it.’ And I was like ‘No, thank you. No, thank you. No, thank you.’ Until he grabs my arm aggressively, like, it hurt me,” Moroni said in a video that has received over 800,000 views.
“He literally said, ‘It’s the friendship symbol. It’s offensive if you don’t take it,’” Moroni continued.
@fabriziovmoroni stay safe out there 🤍 #fabri #paris #france #braceletscam @Amanda Rollins thought of you
As he struggled with the man grabbing his arm, appearing to put the “friendship” bracelet on his wrist, 5 or 7 men approached him. He feared they were going to take his wallet and his phone.
But Moroni was able to wriggle his way out of the man’s grasp and ran off before being robbed.
“So, please, please, please be careful if you ever go to Montmartre. Make sure that you walk down the outer stairs, the one on the sides, not the central one that gets to the very bottom of it. And stay safe.” Moroni said. “And if you ever see anyone approaching you with a bracelet, just run away.”