This is my first year traveling so I am unsure if it is normal or not. Is the mass amount of scammers in places like Rome, Florence, London and Paris normal? The putting pictures on the floor so you walk on them, selling fake/illegal items, as well as the aggressive bracelet thing, I am aware everywhere has scammers and it can never be fully stopped. I am from the states and places like NYC have these things but it is not this extreme and overwhelming for a lack of better words, has it always been like this? It feels almost like its just accepted and nobody cares to stop it, not to sound too American here, but if this was NYC Americans would absolutely be violent over it.
I am curious because if this is a growing issue I may reevaluate the places I want to continue to see and start to massively avoid cities I have always wanted to see.