Latest Scams in Europe 2018 please

[mbeder]

My girlfriend fell for the red ‘Kabbalah’ string bracelet scam at the Jaffa markets in Tel Aviv. The ‘Rabbi’ also blessed her & her kids - I arrived mid-blessing to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen! Cost her AU$20. We then watched him as he scammed person after person - he was making a fortune!

 

[Pushka]

My girlfriend fell for the red ‘Kabbalah’ string bracelet scam at the Jaffa markets in Tel Aviv. The ‘Rabbi’ also blessed her & her kids - I arrived mid-blessing to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen! Cost her AU$20. We then watched him as he scammed person after person - he was making a fortune!

It’s really hard though. We are too trusting.

I’d told my kids who were teens not to fall for the Time Share scam in Bali This is where you scratch a scratchie and win a night free accommodation. The downside is that you are taken to a far off location and have to sit through quite a lengthy time share presentation. Very much a captive audience so you gotta stay. Can you believe it but within an hour or so I had fallen for it.

Next trip we said no of course, and then I went into a Kmart to get some money from an ATM. The guy, nice young guy, asked MrP why everyone got angry when he asked them about taking part. He couldn’t understand why people were getting antsy about a free meal and night in a luxury resort. MrP explained the deal to him. He had known nothing about that.

 

[Ausbt]

In Italy now. Havent noticed much yet - but they are loving my `nice shoes`. One guy wasnt happy when i tucked a rose back in his pocket. Got taken a bit by at Naples airport by Luigi the cab driver. Tipped him €2 Euro and then he stood there with the most baleful look and pleaded `and for di bag?`. I look at my hand holding two coins, €1 and a €2. I hand him the €1. `Ciao Luigi`

 

[MEL_Traveller]

A timely article courtesy of news .com .au (there's also a short list of current scams towards the end of the article): If you do this on holiday you’re asking to be pickpocketed

 

[Dr Faldown Strangely]

I do get annoyed, but fighting back can be fun.

Example... if you've been to a ritzy department store with nice branded carry bags, keep the bag.
After the goods are safely back at your apartment, buy some of those thin freezer bags and go walking. Be sure to pick up dog cough with them, like we have to in Australia, and pop it in the expensive retailer's bag. 3 is enough.

Then, dawdle along near the kerb, with the bag is loosely held in the kerbside hand, and gaze dreamily up at architecture. The hook is baited. Do I hear a speeding bike close by? Oh no! They stole my bag of cough.

 

[SuzieQ68]

Sort of a scam, but more of a potential rip-off to be aware of. In Czech Republic at the moment. Was approached twice asking if we spoke English. Both times, the person asked if we needed to exchange our Aussie dollars or Euros (as we had them too). Luckily we knew about the rip-off here whereby the person will exchange your AUD or EUR into Czech Korunas - but for way less than you'll get going to an exchange. The sob story starts about the cost of living in Czech etc etc. We were just empathetic, polite and extracted ourselves asap.

 

[daft009]

I really hate Prague. Had our electronics all stolen from our car. We left it locked and unattended for 5 min outside our hotel as we went to buy drinks and snacks before starting our drive back to Germany.

Went to the police and they made us sign a NDA that we wouldn't get a police report if we went to media or social media etc


I think the hotel staff were in on it as we were using our laptops over breakfast

 

[Tassieoptom]

I really hate Prague. Had our electronics all stolen from our car. We left it locked and unattended for 5 min outside our hotel as we went to buy drinks and snacks before starting our drive back to Germany.

Went to the police and they made us sign a NDA that we wouldn't get a police report if we went to media or social media etc


I think the hotel staff were in on it as we were using our laptops over breakfast

Did they break a window or jimmy the lock, if so much damage to hire car?

 

[daft009]

Jimmy the lock. Barely noticeable, unless you looked really closely.
The car belonged to my German residing friend.

I even told them 3 (we were 2 couples) that I'd stay with the car and they go get the snacks lol,

 

[Tassieoptom]

Jimmy the lock. Barely noticeable, unless you looked really closely.
The car belonged to my German residing friend.

I even told them 3 (we were 2 couples) that I'd stay with the car and they go get the snacks lol,

They must have seen you put your luggage in the car, does not take long unfortunately. Shame you did not stay with the car.

 

[daft009]

Yeah the car was in the secure car park all weekend. Just got it out for 20min during checkout

 

[davidj]

hotel staff

What hotel was this?

 

[daft009]

What hotel was this?

Don't remember unfortunately, was back in '12 and booked by my friends. Was a 4* though and really nice.
A couple of stops from the cbd.

Tried to forget as much as possible. Camera incl all pics lost.
I had an external backup of all my pics which stayed in my large suitcase but that day it too was in my backpack with all my other tech, so all gone.

My friend had his logbook for his flying licence stolen (ppl). They took the two small bags in the car.

 

[Faceplant]

S Luckily we knew about the rip-off here whereby the person will exchange your AUD or EUR into Czech Korunas - but for way less than you'll get going to an exchange.

What they also do is use worthless Belarus Currency that looks like the Czech Currency. I saw that one on YouTube.

Was in Paris in 2016 and an old woman did a very clever slight of hand with the Ring Scam, stooping down to pick it up out of a puddle but really she had it in her hand the whole time. I started laughing because I has been waiting the whole trip for it and it finally happened. It's funny though even pre-warned your heart rate goes up at the sight of that gold ring "Found" in the dirt.

My partner was attempted pick pocketed from her bag in the subway Exit in Porto. The pick pockets hit the emergency stop on the escalator then walked up behind us. They were pretty clumsy though and a red faced Australian woman shouting at them scared them off. Watch for people with maps out hanging around the ticket machines.

Fortunately for Australians the Chinese tourists seem to be taking the heat as Aussies must have a reputation as being too stingy or too smart.

 

[drron]

Finally a good thing with Chinese tourism.

 

[Happy Dude]

I got done by this pickpocket scam on the metro in St Petersburg in 2010:

• The first dude stands between you and the edge of the platform, which in my case meant him standing right on the very edge of the platform and fairly snug against me. He did this just as the train was arriving and I just thought, "the nerve of this jerk".
• His mate then cosies up behind you, as does half of St Petersburg. The train pulls up, open the doors and everyone steps in.
• First dude then has a change of mind and stops. Second dude keeps going, shoving you firmly into the dude in front. Someone's hand/s then rifles through your pockets.
• Then, the first dude and his mate jump off the train just before the doors close. The penny drops. I notice two women smirking, either at the hilarity of seeing a bunch of people stumbling onto the train OR the naive tourist slapping his forehead.

Those efforts were somewhat clumsy and undergraduate, but effective, compared to the oh-so-blunt method of being 'searched' by men in uniform TWICE on my first visit to Russia in 2001.

The first time was in St Petersburg when 6 big blokes with guns insisted I come with them for "ID" when I was sitting on my backpack waiting for a train. So we went down below the platform into a windowless room where they just rifled through my backpack. I showed them my passport and money, and they left me to repack everything. I didn't think too much more it until a few days later when I realised they managed to find, and take, a USD$100 travellers cheque that I put between the pages of my plane ticket. (Travellers cheques and paper tickets - those were the days!!).

The second time two 'cops' (I think?) asked to see some ID as I stumbled home from a bar in the wee hours after too many brewski's. They just grabbed cash straight our of my wallet. Pragmatic!

So many good memories of Russia.....

 

[flyer001]

Was traveling in Switzerland where I felt safe pushing a trolley with bags and skis at the railway station. My briefcase was on top. nobody around and then suddenly a spray of coins fell in front of me. when I bent to pick these up a guy behind me grabbed my briefcase and ran. However a porter had been watching him and yelled so took of after him and he dropped the case and ran. porter refused a tip and said it was the Romanian immigrants who were the main culprits and dropping coins in front of you from behind was a common trick to distract you. so even in Switzerland, keep your eyes open although in this case I ended up with about 1 Swiss frank in change.

 

[daft009]

my cousin had his camera stolen at Switzerland at the main train station too.
He was there with his parents.
He was looking to his right at something, his mum was on his left. He stuck his arm out and said "hey mum, hold the camera for a sec" without turning his head.

someone did take the camera from his hand.
eventually he turned around and asked his mum for the camera back.. mum said "what camera"!

 

[Pushka]

my cousin had his camera stolen at Switzerland at the main train station too.
He was there with his parents.
He was looking to his right at something, his mum was on his left. He stuck his arm out and said "hey mum, hold the camera for a sec" without turning his head.

someone did take the camera from his hand.
eventually he turned around and asked his mum for the camera back.. mum said "what camera"!

That is really bad luck/timing.

 

[Ausbt]

Not really a scam as such, but I struck up a convo with an NZ couple on the train from Milan to Nice. They were sitting across the aisle. Right before the border, a homeless-looking chap comes through and leaves a paper note asking for money on each table. I read it and of course did not touch it, but these silly kiwis (older, may I say 'less tolerant' types) screwed the note up and threw it in the bin. Naturally when the chap comes back looking for donations he wants either money or the note back, and the kiwis didn't have either!

He gets upset and insistent that they cough up some cash. They go the full racist on this guy, with their prejudice and may I say, entitlement on full ugly display. Finally they get it through their ignorant brains to dig through the bin and find the guy's note. You know what? I felt like pickpocketing these kiwis myself and giving the guy their money.