Cicero sent him that year to Puteoli to prevent the gold and silver from being carried away from the city. His extortions, however, were so oppressive that the inhabitants were obliged to complain of his conduct; Pina Polo and Díaz Fernández, in The Quaestorship in the Roman Republic, however, doubt the Ciceronean story, saying "the text implies Vatinius carried out his mission with extraordinary zeal and that his diligence led some merchants to complain".
