On holiday in Venice I watched a woman scam a succession of locals. It was a Sunday, and she was targeting people coming home from mass I guess. She gave them a tragic sob story and they immediately reached for their cash. She was sooo grateful! As they walked away feeling good, she stuffed the money in her bag and cast about for her next victims. I don’t speak Italian, so I couldn’t warn anyone without a huge scene. I would love to know what story she was spinning though, it was hugely effective.