TOURISTS visiting Rome have claimed they were charged up to £430 for photos with men dressed as centurions outside the Colosseum.
Police in Rome announced that they have arrested three men on suspicion of extortion, following allegations they forced holidaymakers to pay up for what they call "imperial selfies".
The accused men were among the groups of tourist traders dressed as Roman soldiers that hang around outside the Colosseum every day, charging people for a photograph.
Tourists have been warned for years to give the roleplaying Romans a swerve, after some used aggressive tactics to force people to pay over the odds for a picture.
In a post on their Facebook page, a spokesperson for the Rome Police Headquarters revealed that one tourist from northern Italy reported being surrounded and threatened after refusing to pay €40 (£34) for his photo.
He claimed he was then forced to pay €150 (£129) by the men, who would not let him leave until he coughed up.
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Another Irish tourist alleged he was forced to go to the nearest cash point and ordered to withdraw €250 (£215) for a picture with the fancy dress guards.
Other complaints from August and September 2022 this year claim that as much as €500 (£430) was charged for a picture.
Over the last few years, tourists have also reported paying over the odds for food in prime tourist spots in Rome.
In 2019, two tourists previously slammed a "disgusting" restaurant in Rome after being charged €429 (£381) for their meal.
The Japanese tourists ordered two plates of fish and spaghetti and some water at a restaurant close to the Ponte Sant'Angelo , then posted the picture on TripAdvisor.
The restaurant, however, said the two Japanese tourists knew exactly what they were doing when ordering and had no right to complain after receiving the bill.
Meanwhile, a beachfront restaurant in Mykonos made headlines this summer after several tourists complained they had been overcharged for meals.
One US lawyer said she was charged £460 for four drinks and a snack at the notorious DK Oyster Bar.
When they tried to complain about the bill, Theodora said they were immediately surrounded by the waiters, "a group of big, hulking men".
Meanwhile, these tourists were outraged when they had to fork out more than £100 for three hot dogs, a sandwich and some soft drinks in Italy.
And these are some of the biggest holiday scams for tourists to dodge.
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