Latest Scams in Europe 2018 please

[Zinger]

Glad to hear you managed to hang onto your luggage. We'll done.

Thanks.
This sort of thing is becoming more and more common.
I was at the embassy in Paris a few years ago while applying for a new passport and met a number of other people needing new passports.
Most had their luggage and hand luggage stolen on trains.

 

[Tassieoptom]

Thanks.
This sort of thing is becoming more and more common.
I was at the embassy in Paris a few years ago while applying for a new passport and met a number of other people needing new passports.
Most had their luggage and hand luggage stolen on trains.

We normally fly into Paris, and have never let our luggage out of sight/touch. Plan our accommodation to be on the same route RER line from CDG so we have only a single train and trip from the airport to our accommodation. And the same as we fly out. This thread has been very informative as we consider an Italian trip next year.

 

[albatross710]

Just back from Rome where there is definitely a marked increase in activity. Here are a couple of examples:

a) Ticket machines at Rome Termini, lots of 'helpful' people to assist you to buy a ticket to the airport. They seemed to operate in pairs. One is using the adjacent machine and chats to you. When I say they are using the adjacent machine, they are just feeding in coins which they then get refunded after you leave your machine. The other one is checking the location of your wallet etc. After the first time I used machines which were located where the pickpockets didn't operate.

b) Colosseum area has photo friendly costumed gladiators that will happily put their arms around tourists for photos. They are pickpockets operating in groups.

c) Local train from Naples <> Pompei have a healthy contingent of on-roster pickpockets. Here is a picture of my prime suspect for this. He stood where people enter the platform and studiously studied each person. He is carrying a jacket which he will later be using to cover the activity of his hands. On the day of this pic it was 35C, so no honest need for a jacket. As soon as the local train arrived he moved from his spot to join a group of particular female tourists. Note that for tourists travelling Naples <> Pompei <> Sorrento it's far better to use the Compania Express instead of the local trains.





d) We had one attempted bag snatch in Naples.

Alby

 

[Guvner]

On the odd occasion I've had beggars or potential scammers approach me I just point at my ear and mumble loudly "Deaf, I'm deaf". You can see their expressions change as they process the information before they walk away.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Not a scam and not in Europe, but just received this in an email from QF about MNL:

To make your check-in experience as smooth as possible, please do not plastic wrap or lock your checked baggage.

If they think I'm traveling anywhere without a lock on my bag, they're dreaming.

 

[I love to travel]

I am going to stop reading this thread. Lots of train travel over the next 3 weeks in Europe!!!

 

[AIRwin]

I am going to stop reading this thread. Lots of train travel over the next 3 weeks in Europe!!!

Ignorance is bliss...

 

[Tassieoptom]

Ignorance is bliss...

Ignorance is losing your bag on an Italian train, by not reading this thread.

 

[maggies1]

My brother in law and his wife were catching a train in Milan and had 3 large cases after cruising the Med. When they got to the stairs to the platform a man offered to help carry a case up the stairs. When they got to the platform he demanded 25 euro for carrying the case. Being a bushie BIL told him to nick off but he insisted so BIL got his wallet out but had no euro left so his wife got her purse out of her bag and gave him 5 euro. They got on the train and of course both the wallet and purse were stolen on the journey. Guard on train said it happened every trip. There are teams working the platforms and follow you onto train because they know where your wallet is kept.

 

[albatross710]

Not a scam and not in Europe, but just received this in an email from QF about MNL:

To make your check-in experience as smooth as possible, please do not plastic wrap or lock your checked baggage.

If they think I'm traveling anywhere without a lock on my bag, they're dreaming.

When checking into QF at MNL . You first get an additional search of your checked bag, then you can check it in. You need to open you luggage before you go to checkin.

If your bag has just been wrapped in plastic wrap, then I assume they will remove it to do the inspection.

Probably lots of people who ignored the email and paid for the wrapping would be getting annoyed.

I always re-lock my bag after this check.


Alby

 

[Jacques Vert]

When checking into QF at MNL . You first get an additional search of your checked bag, then you can check it in. You need to open you luggage before you go to checkin.

Alby

Hi Alby,

I presumed that this is what they were trying to say but the email could be misunderstood by some.

After my recent experiences, I won't be taking the lock off my bag until I get to the security search people; if that slows down the process, so be it.

 

[I love to travel]

Nothing in Europe for me this year. Was very quiet actually. Even the trains on longer distance journeys seemed to be devoid of of obvious people trying to steal luggage.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

They (scammers) would probably now have upgraded their skill(set) from stealing bags to stealing data.
Or stealing info.
Sometimes you do not know you have been stung on holidays till you find your card has been used to buy tickets... O/T, there is a post on the QFF branch about a colleague's QFF whose points were used to buy JQ tickets.
I wouldn't put it pass scammers, or spammers, or info gatherhers to upskill.

 

[Geegeela]

UK today, Australia tomorrow.

The new mobile phone scam delivering a problem

Why are fraudsters arranging for a brand new phone to unexpectedly be delivered to your door?

www.bbc.com