Paris, the dream city, the city of romance. Each one of us fancies visiting the city of poetry and fairies but unfortunately, it is also a city of swindles. It is one of the most visited cities, not only in Europe but across the globe. As with every popular destination, the number of people looking to make easy money can be overwhelming.
There are the local con artists that ready to skim you off your hard-earned money with their sophisticated and charming methods. Tourists only get fooled when they are unaware of the tricks they are falling for. Most of the scams occur in tourist areas like The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Scare Coeur Arc de Triomphe, etc. Although there aren’t wrongdoers at every corner of the city, and it is a very safe one, there goes no harm in being aware of one’s surroundings.
Here is a list of the most common scams, so you can be aware and enjoy your time in the city of lights.
The Gold Ring Scam
One of the most common scams that occur is, as you walk by the Seine, the Eiffel tower, or even near a metro station. How does it go? As the unsuspecting tourist, usually, a couple is enjoying the beautiful city, a man/woman/child will come close by you and pick up something shiny from the ground and exclaim at their good luck.
The ring would be then offered to the passerby. If the tourist accepts it, the person will ask for money and in some cases demand it.
If you refuse, the person insists you take it in good graces for your partner, while there is an accomplice who pickpockets your wallet.
Always walk away in such situations and do not entertain any further conversations.
Friendship Bracelets at Sacre Coeur
This by far THE most annoying scam according to me. There are a bunch of guys that hang out at the stairs of the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. It is almost impossible to avoid them as they keep blocking you while you try to climb up the stairs.
They pretend to be nice and approach you with a friendship bracelet and before you know what’s going on this person is tying a colorful thread on your wrists. He then goes ahead and starts demanding money for the bracelet. While you are dealing with his spiel and one of your hands is tied up, another “friend” is walking away with your wallet.
To get away be extremely pushy and keep your arms folded. Do not carry a lot of valuables along with you.
Signing a Petition for a Cause
This one is a very simple scam. A person with a clipboard, often with a photocopied logo of an original charity will walk up to you and ask for donations. They are asking for money for the refugees, orphans, handicapped, etc but it is not true.
Another version of this is, a person walks up to you asking to sign a petition for the environment or some cause. Once you sign the paper, they start demanding money saying you’ve just signed a paper saying you owe them money. Money up to 500 euros!
Hence, never, repeat after me, never sign any paper.
The Rose Scam
The city of romance and roses go hand in hand. To keep with this trend, a good Smartian will offer you a rose in front of the Eiffel tower to make things romantic. If you accept the gift, you guessed it right, the demand for money begins.
Remember what our parents taught us, kids? Don’t accept gifts from strangers! Remember this during your visit
Restaurants Overcharging the Tourists
Many Parisian restaurants in the highly touristic places like the Latin quarters, the Champs Elysee make a living ripping off gullible tourists. They offer you the tourist menu with overpriced charges and eventually sneakily adding things that you didn’t order to your bill. The other version is by handing you a menu with no prices at all and then giving you an exorbitant bill.
To avoid this scam avoid eating at the highly touristic destinations at all Most of the time the food isn’t even authentic and tastes mediocre. Instead, look for restaurants across the entire city and check for their review beforehand.
The Famous Cup Game
This the scam that tourists fall for most easily. Even after this being one of the oldest scams in the book people fall for the hope of easy money. The scammers have 3 cups and they hide a ball under one of the cups. The tourist has to bet money on the correct cup; if they win, they earn twice of what they bet. Unfortunately, there is never any chance to win, the scammer with a sly trick of the hand will move the ball without your realization.
In another version, they let the tourist win a couple of rounds and when they bet huge amounts of money, the tourist loses.
The scammers usually have their people in the crowd who pretend to play the game and make it extremely easy.
Pickpockets at the Train Station
Pick pocketers in Paris are a common occurrence. The easiest target is the tourist on the metro station trying to figure out how a system works. They try to target you in the crowd by either bumping into you, getting in your personal space meanwhile, their accomplice snatches your wallet/cellphone/watch, etc
Sometimes when you are about to enter the metro or near the door, right before the door closes, they snatch your valuables and run. You cannot do much in this case, can you?
To avoid these unfortunate incidences, always keep your belongings close to you, avoid using your cellphone near the door, and try taking a less crowded train
Cheaper Subway Tickets
A benevolent person walks up to you when are fiddling with the French metro ticketing system and offers you a metro ticket for cheaper. They hand you an expired ticket or a child ticket which can land you in trouble.
Work through the system and always get your tickets at the kiosk or from the authorized information centers and buy your tickets yourself
The Fake Taxi
You are looking for a taxi and then right out of nowhere one appears and agrees to take you for a small price. That price will then eventually triple by the time you arrive at your destination. All the taxis in Paris have “Taxi of Paris” written on them and always check this before you hire one.
Also, Paris has uber, so that’s another foolproof way to save your money
How to Avoid Being Targeted
Stay away from extremely crowded places and make sure you always have an eye on your belongings. Some places can be visited in the early hours. And hey, isn’t that better for your Instagram?
Don’t Be Polite
The people mentioned in all the above scams are extremely pushy and can invade your personal space. So don’t be afraid to be rude and be equally pushy to get out of the situation.
Beware of Your Surroundings
While not the entire city of Paris out to get you, it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on your surroundings. The most easily targeted tourists are the ones who are not paying attention. Also, keep your valuables close to you or keep them at the hotel for safety. Cellphones are the most targeted in metros and are snatched from unaware humans. Keeping them in your coat pocket is another big no-no!
Don’t Act Like Tourists
When you go mooooo in front of the Eiffel tower, your wallet was gone from the back. Try to blend in with the general population
After you've gone through all the points and decide it's too much of a hassle to come to Paris, don't worry. This is also one of the most polite places to visit, and a little "Bonjour" can go long way.
So, when you decide to visit Paris, I have got you covered with all the tips.
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