xyz123

You can be scammed in Paris, you can be scammed in Amsterdam, you can be scamnmed in London, you can be scammed in Barcelona, you can be scammed in Madrid, you can be scammed in Rome....about the only places I have not had this happen to me are Germany, Austria, Switzerland.

In Paris, my biggest culprit are those, I believe they are gypsies, who walk up to you in the street and say, "Speak English." Generally, I answer using my best German, you would be so proud of me Logos, nein, sprech zie deutsch? Usually they walk away. Other times, I yell to them, "Get the you know what away from me before I call the police." Why do they only try to pull this garbage on people who speak English?

colduphere

This really confuses them if you're a westerner:

你会说普通话吗？

logos999

>sprech zie deutsch?
You usually answer "Sprechen Sie eine vernünftige Sprache"
("Do you speak a resonable language" i.e. a language humans usually speak)

So they know instantly that you're German and won't bother you again, that's easy.

november_moon

LOL logos.

We always just speak Spanish to people who ask us if we speak English. We aren't usually targetted by the "do you speak English?" people though - I think that they are looking for Americans and most people seem to have the impression that Americans are on the tall side - my husband and I are very short, so I think we fly below the radar a lot (pun intended).

I agree though that these sorts of threads are important. There are a lot of people who aren't as savvy about these scams and need the information.

As for why people try to pull these scams only on the Engligh-speaking, I think that it is probably because they are looking for Americans who have the reputation for being on the naive side and also for wanting to be helpful. Perfect combo for scammers. Also, a lot of Americans seem to have an obsession with meeting the locals - so when someone comes up to talk to them, they are quick to engage.

xyz123

I'm not sure I agree....these scams seem to be aimed at anybody who speaks English (they don't ask are you American, they come up to you and say, Speak English)......it's simple...just say No comprendre or nein or whatever or no parlez......

NeoPatrick

I'm not sure where all this "they mainly look for Americans" comes from. I have a Japanese friend who says they mainly go for Japanese because they think the Japanese are more gullible and also rich and also more friendly. And actually when I've passed by what appears to be the ring or similar scam being pulled in Paris -- it does seem like the targets have often been Asians.

I think the bottom line is they go for anyone who is probably a tourist and therefore probably has money (in their mind). I would guess that if it is strictly Americans someone targets it's as likely to be because of the belief that all Americans are wealthy as it is anything else.

AnthonyGA

That scam is extraordinarily common in Paris right now. I've been subjected to it three times in the space of ten minutes in some cases. They target anyone who they think might be a tourist (I'm not a tourist, but they are too stupid to recognize that). Americans are not the wealthiest tourists in Paris these days, so it's not that.

They are not very good at it, as I easily see them bending down, pretending to find the ring that they drop from their hand, and then getting back up. But I know people who have fallen for it and have given them a few euro despite the fact that it's an obvious scam.

Paris is very much awash in scammers lately; it must be because of the depression. Most of them are gypsies.

There's still the "Do you speak English?" scam, which Americans routinely fall for, and the "Please sign this" scam, which provides a way of hiding their hands as they pick your pockets. And so on. Also, there's a new rash of shell-game con artists in the city, particularly around the Eiffel Tower and Pont d'Iéna, last time I saw. On one day, there were no less than eight shell-game scammers on one bridge. And they all appeared to have victims (although it's hard to tell who the victims are and who are just shills).

None of these crooks is dangerous, but they are very annoying. Be extremely wary of any interaction with any stranger if you are carrying any money or other valuable items. In the Métro, almost all the purse snatching currently is not actually purse snatching, but iPhone and smartphone snatching (50% of incidents), so beware about that, too.

Most of the scams involve no violence, but the iPhone snatchers are sometimes very aggressive, grabbing a phone and running off with it. In one recent case, the crook grabbed a woman's phone and she lost her balance and fell down a flight of stairs in the subway, and later died. The RATP (transit authority) has put up signs recommending that people not take out their iPhones and smartphones while riding the Métro.

xyz123

Allthough it won't stop it, a few sting operations by the police to get these vermin off the streets might help somewhat. Surely the police can assign undercover officers to the tourist spots and the metro or is it tyhat they don't really care what happens to the tourists?

november_moon

The assertion that the scammers who go around asking people if they speak English are looking for Americans specifically is just a theory - relax.

AnthonyGA

Many of the scams they run are not strictly illegal. There's nothing illegal about handing you an incredibly ugly ring and insisting you keep it, then asking you for money. It's just panhandling. Some of the things they do are illegal, such as pickpocketing, but there are a lot more crooks than there are police, and police also have to worry about more serious crimes.

Sometimes action is taken. One person who was running a ring of panhandling children, forcing them to beg during the day (instead of going to school) and beating them if they didn't produce enough revenue, was sent to prison for 30 years a few years ago. But successes like that are rare. (The scammers like to use children for their scams because they know that they won't be prosecuted or sent to jail.)

They target anyone who looks naive and appears to have something worth stealing. Americans aren't as common or as wealthy as they used to be, although they're still just as naive. Wealthy Chinese or Middle Eastern tourists are just as likely to be scammed these days (especially since they often carry a lot of their money in cash). The Chinese in particular, coming from a very different society and thus not knowing what to be careful about, are easy pickings for the crooks.

LSky

It's just goes to show you should learn to say, "Please" "Thank You" and "Go Away" in several langauges.

nancythenice

Old thread or not - I have read this with interest as I prepare for my first solo trip to Paris. And I have to say it has dampened my enthusiasm for the trip. I am a hobbyist photographer - but now fear taking my DSLR equipment. Heck, I am now even worried about stopping to take a picture using my little point and shoot camera. I don't mind firmly rebuffing (and loudly) any stranger who approaches me - and I travel with my passport and credit cards in a waist belt and try to be vigilant in crowds - but the thought of repeatedly having to deal with this as an older solo woman traveler isn't fun. What about inside the museums? I assume since there is a cost to get in, the career scam artists and pickpockets will only be outside?

Christina

No one has ever tried to approach me with such a scam nor have I ever had a problem in Paris. That's because I'm not receptive to such things and don't look it. A lot of tourists brings this on themselves, they are always doing stupid things. LIke the OP, for example, actually initiated a conversation about that ring with the person. And obviously in English, I would guess. Now how stupid can you be. I don't talk to riffraff on the streets nor strangers on bridges or paths picking up rings, etc., but a lot of tourists do and that's their problem.

I'm an older solo woman, it's because a lot of people ask for it. I never have to deal with it and I don't carry things in a waist best. It's really how you act and look and whether you do things like the OP.

Now I don't much look like a tourist, though, and there isn't much you can do about that if you carry cameras around. I don't, and I don't carry guidebooks or maps or things like that which people can see. I do carry a small local city mapbook in my purse, but lots of locals do that.

Sidny

nancy: Don't let these things worry you, just use them as a reminder to be aware. Sounds like you're planning to take normal precautions. I've never had a problem in Paris, but certainly don't discount those that have. Just be aware, download your pics nightly to minimize the risk of true loss (a good pic is harder to replace than the camera that took it). You may feel a little "b*tchy", but just ignore people on the street that try to stop you and talk to you. If they're truly lost there is likely someone nearby much better than you to help them find their way.