25 Tourist Scams You Should Watch Out For This Summer

[snooper2]

[treestar]

1. Europe seems to have the most scams!

I recall one in Paris where they'd ask you if you dropped a gold ring they were holding up. Probably not really gold. But they'd imply you could keep it. But could you give them money for food as they don't have any. One woman - I just got her some food. She didn't really want that!

[snooper2]

2. I fell for one in Vegas last year...

Guy was dressed up like SpongeBob and didn't say anything was just walking around waving...I had my daughter stand by him and took a picture and started walking away and he was like- That's $5 bucks!


A stopped by a vendor selling cigars a little bit away and he said he hates those assholes
He said some of them are homeless and others are just scammers but they get these used cheap costumes and make money off the tourists, tax free. Meanwhile he has to pay for permits, taxes, blah blah

[GreatGazoo]

4. many tourist scams are as old as europe

the shell game is documented to have been going on during the Roman empire and conquests. They literally used shells from chestnuts -- 3 shells, just point to the one with the pea under it and you get paid.

2000 years later, the shell game was run in NYC on Canal St and other high tourist areas. In the mid-1990s they would use cardboard boxes for a table and work in rings of 5 to 12 people -- lookouts, confederates who seem to be playing the game and winning, the dealer and maybe a pickpocket or two. Tourists would watch and pretty soon the dealer would point to the tourists to guess which bottle cap the pea is under...

Tourists are targets because they are tired, they carrying cash and language challenges can make it difficult for them to enlist help or deal with local police. I found one YouTube channel where the guy is collecting footage of the shell game scam from around the world.

[gopiscrap]

3. Thanks my family and I are

going to Europe for 35 days this summer!

[6chars]

5. Thanks for posting this

Helpful. I've probably fallen for a few.

[KamaAina]

6. A classic from the French Quarter

Con artist: "I'll bet you can't tell me where you got those shoes!"

Mark (me ): "Sure I can! At Payless in Chicago!"

Con artist: "I didn't ask you where you bought 'em, I asked you where you got 'em. You got 'em right here on Bourbon Street, in New Orleans, Louisiana!"

Mark: (sheepishly forks over five bucks for a shoeshine )

[AwakeAtLast]

7. In New Mexico

My parents wanted to buy some pottery for my sister and I as souvenirs. They chose what they wanted, it was taken in the back and wrapped up. What we opened was half the size of what they chose.