Railway police: "Make a difference" on a train or at a station

They pass themselves off as railway porters or tourist information officers, some kindly ask for information and others offer to help you at ticket machines, but they are thieves and cheaters, who use a variety of distractions to relieve rail passengers of their money, luggage and valuables.

As of today, an additional awareness tool is available to combating them: the Railway Police and the Ferrovie dello Stato (Italian National Railways) jointly developed new posters identifying specific risk situations in railway stations, along with an information leaflet to help avoid becoming a victim of a crime. This campaign is designed to inform millions of railway passengers about the potential pitfalls hiding in an act of kindness or a simple question by a stranger.

The "Be aware! Make a difference" campaign reminds the public not to let their guard on when they are in a train station or on a train. Thieves and scammers often rely on passengers' distraction to mingle with the crowd and deceive their victims.

"Through our poster campaign - says Claudio Caroselli, Director of the Railway Police Service - we are reminding railway passengers, especially foreigners, not to trust strangers who pass themselves off as porters, booking clerks, or tourist information staff with an intent to deceive or steal. We aim at the people's active cooperation and want them to become aware of the real dangers posed by these individuals, who should not be trusted, but sent away, calling upon police patrols to intervene".

"This initiative - says Franco Fiumara, Director of Corporate Protection of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane - is a way to support our customers and to ensure that they can travel securely and safely, being aware of possible hazards, by providing them with more information about the tactics of ill-intentioned people".

Italian