Scam in Paris, but who got scammed?
 

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were walking along the Seine near Concorde. A lone 20-something fellow was approaching us from opposite direction. Just after passing us, he exclaimed, saying he had just found a ring on the pavement. Was it ours? It appeared to be a sizable plain gold wedding band. We said, no not ours. Then he offered it to my wife ("it will be your lucky ring"). After much back and forth we finally took the ring just to get rid of him. But then he wanted to chat, then, of course, asked me for some money. I gave him 2 euros, which he was not at all happy about, but we left and went on our way. I figured we had probably been scammed, but for 2 euros, what the heck, we would at least have a fond memory and a good story. We hadn't gone another 100 meters when we saw the exact same routine being played out by a woman with an elderly French couple. We just started laughing, which alerted the couple and that was the end of it.

So it seemed obvious that someone was acquiring fake gold rings at cheap prices in order to extract some money from unsuspecting walkers such as ourselves. I was not at all persuaded when we got out a magnifying glass and saw 18K stamped on the inside of the ring. After all, if you are going to make a fake ring, might as well add a fake stamping.

Now back home, and my wife took the ring to a jeweler and guess what? It is real! So now what is the scam? All we can think of is that the rings are stolen. But if the scammer knew the rings were real, how could he let one go for a couple of bucks? Why did he give me possession of the ring before asking for money, and why did he ask for money on the basis that he was broke and needed money to eat? I don't see how he would ever get a significant contribution with that approach. Anyone have any idea about what the story is here?

Oh My! You scammed that poor 20-something kid by giving him €2 for a real 18K gold ring?!?!

;)

Good question for us to ponder. Maybe these Gold Ring Scams aren't that bad after all! Did your jeweler say how much it's worth?

Good for you, V.

"Now back home, and my wife took the ring to a jeweler and guess what? It is real!"

Did the jeweler look at your ID? Are you in posession of stolen goods?

I don't think my wife got an appraisal, but the ring is pretty substantial, maybe even 1/4 ounce. It has to be worth at least a few hundred dollars.

Vedette: it sometimes happens that drug users (addicts) will steal an item and then sell it quickly at any price simply for a 'quick fix'. Perhaps your 20-year old scammer was desperate for some quick money.

"Did the jeweler look at your ID? Are you in posession of stolen goods?"

I'll ask my wife after she makes bail. LOL

When I saw the title of that post, I thought, oh now, not another person asking about rings... People post this every couple months, it seems. The scam is just that it is a way to approach people and try to get money out of them, if people are willing to converse and deal with strangers on the street about objects. This has been posted a lot before, so I'll be honest, I'm not sure this post isn't a scam.

I don't talk to strangers on the street about things. It's a way to try to harangue people for money, that's all. You were lucky you weren't assaulted in some way when you did not give them more money. I think it is very foolish to deal with people like that on the street, I won't even talk to people like that.

If you really got a gold ring, I suppose they stole it from somebody. They aren't giving gold rings away for pocket change.

Last year in Paris, my husband and I were so afraid of being scammed, that we ignored a guy asking us, in English, "could you please tell me what time it is?" We walked right past him without acknowledging him. And then we had some rude epithets thrown our way.

Christina: No, my post is not a scam. I am reasonably cautious, but was kind of caught by surprise in this case. I totally agree that it makes no sense to part with a real gold ring for pocket change. That's what perplexes me about how the whole thing unfolded. If the ring is real (I have no reason to doubt it now that it was taken to reputable and known jeweler here), it had to have been stolen, but then why was the same scene being played out very nearby by someone else? The whole thing doesn't make sense to me. That's why I asked if anyone could figure out what the real deal was. I am sure it was a scam, but I cannot figure out what it was. No, we were not pickpocketed in this process. Maybe we were lucky not to have been assaulted. BTW, the guy showed no outward signs of being a druggie.

My uncle, in his first year in the US bought a "gold" chain for $20 in the streets of San Francisco. He was bragging and bragging till "gold" started to come off!

The satellite radio-locator beacon in the ring has almost certainly been activated by now and has alerted an international cartel of jewel thieves who are even as we speak devising a sophisticated operation to relieve you of your stores of bullion and extensive collection of investment-grade diamonds.

My wife is out of town now, but when she gets back, maybe we'll take the ring to another jeweler for another opinion. This whole situation just makes no sense to me.

"The satellite radio-locator beacon in the ring has almost certainly been activated by now and has alerted an international cartel of jewel thieves who are even as we speak devising a sophisticated operation to relieve you of your stores of bullion and extensive collection of investment-grade diamonds."

Oh, damn.

Vedette, if you bite the ring, can you see the teeth-marks on it?

Faina, I'll let you know at the end of the week, when my wife returns home with the ring. I would try that with my own wedding ring, but it already has so many marks and scratches I don't think I could tell if I made a new one. I don't remember whether the "scam ring" is in similar condition or better.

jenblaise wrote: "Last year in Paris, my husband and I were so afraid of being scammed, that we ignored a guy asking us, in English, "could you please tell me what time it is?" We walked right past him without acknowledging him. And then we had some rude epithets thrown our way."

jen, I wouldn't worry about offending the person in question. I'm thinking anybody who would respond this way was a scammer, panhandler, or other person you don't want to have anything to do with. There's no law saying you have to engage in conversation with a stranger on the street at any such level, especially in a big city.

We stood at the end of the Tuileries, where it overlooks Place de la Concorde, and could see a group of men and women break off and approach people with the ring scam thing. After 15 minutes or so, they would meet back up and compare notes or pool the money or whatever. We saw this on two different days, same spot.

Also saw a lone women pull it on 3 elderly people at the other end of the Tuileries, before one reaches the Carousel du Louvre.

I find it hard to believe that a professional con artist wouldn't have noticed that he was in possession of an 18k gold ring.

When I was at the west end of the Tuileries after visiting the l'Orangerie, I remember a man calling out to me a couple of times, but both times I ignored it and kept walking exactly like I do at home.

You'll also find women in front of the hotel de ville or notre dame with pieces of paper that they'll ask you to read because they can't speak english- the paper will say something like "My child is sick and my husband is dead and we have no money for food please can you give me some euro so I can feed my baby"

These "scams" are nothing new- once there has been a personal interaction people are more likely to give money, it's a fact of human nature and they know it and use it to their advantage.

But here's what I still don't get --
If the guy told me that the ring was 18K gold, I would not have believed him. And there was no way anyone could read the stamp without a magnifier and a very strong light, and I would have figured it for a fake even so. So if he wanted money based on the value of the ring, I would have just walked away. But by asking for money for food, he pretty much insured he would get very little. I cannot imagine anyone giving him 10 or 20 euros on that basis. So what is the moneymaking proposition here? If this is a widespread group endeavor, they must have plenty of rings, implying that they must be fakes. The whole thing just doesn't make any sense to me, from either the sellers' or the "buyers'" sides. Maybe they can run this scam so many times per day that the total is significant. When my wife comes home, we will take the ring to another jeweler to confirm or deny its authenticity.

We were approached at the same place as Apres_Londee in June of this year with the gold ring scam, when I told the guy in English that I knew what he was up to and held up my hand as though to say 'stop' - he spat at me!!!

Outside Gare du Nord we also encountered the 'do you speak English' followed by a written note scam. She was politely(?) told to bugger off!!

Thanks to Fodor's, we were ready for any scams while we were on our trip.:)

OK, folks, this is what really happened. On the morning in question, Pierre (the man vedette got the ring from) had a fight with his wife, Mimi. She threw him out of the apartment and told him never to come back. Meanwhile she threw her wedding ring at him as well. Because of the fight, Pierre hadn't had breakfast and was really hungry. He knew the ring wasn't worth anything because he had bought it for just a couple euros, convincing Mimi it was a wonderful ring, so he thought he'd try to scam someone to get some money (knowing the ring wasn't really worth anything). But the problem was, Mimi had been having an affair with JeanClaude who had also given her a ring -- a very nice one. When Mimi got mad and threw the ring she accidently threw the wrong one -- JeanClaude's and not Pierre's. So, vedette, it is purely by accident that Pierre gave you a good ring when he thought it was the cheap one he had given Mimi.

Hope this clears it all up.

Patrick -- I feel so relieved! I don't think I could have slept tonight if you hadn't explained everything for me. Next time I'm in Paris and some guy tries to pull this on me I will ask "how's your love life?"

I just came back from Paris. I didn't go to any of the main tourist sites until my last day, when I walked over to the Champ de Mars with the intention of spending some time taking photos of the Tour Eiffel. As I walked around with my camera, people kept falling over in my path to pick things up in puddles and call out to me. It felt like a cartoon in Mad Magazine.

I left the area in search of a more peaceful environment.

I thought Pierre's real name was Rodolfo.

Isn't Mimi dying of Tuberculosis? Perhaps the ring is contaminated.

We had the same experience in June--just outside of L'Orangerie. It was a girl...but we knew what was up.

www.hereinfranklin.wordpress.com

I tend to agree with Christina. The OP has a point to make, but I can't figure out what it might be.
The ring scam is so done.

hi vedette

<<We were approached at the same place as Apres_Londee in June of this year with the gold ring scam, when I told the guy in English that I knew what he was up to and held up my hand as though to say 'stop' - he spat at me!!!

Outside Gare du Nord we also encountered the 'do you speak English' followed by a written note scam. She was politely(?) told to bugger off!!>>

when we are approached now, with the "do you speak english" or "are you english, sign my petition" scams, [prevelant in Venice] we've started to say that we're from Cornwall and only speak cornish.

though we say this in english, it seems to throw them right off.
in Paris a swift "je ne comprends pas" seems to work well. they never seem to try this nonsense on the locals.

regards, ann

It's a venerable old scam.
It's actually mentioned in Dickens "Our Mutual Friend"

I bet it or a version of it was in operation when France was Gaul.

annhig wrote: "when we are approached now, with the "do you speak english" or "are you english, sign my petition" scams, [prevelant in Venice] we've started to say that we're from Cornwall and only speak cornish."

Herself and I have a better resource: we respond in Gaelic. The language is so little spoken outside (or even in) Ireland that people are unable to figure what part of the world we might come from.

How can some of you NOT understand what vedette's point it? Sure he knows the ring scam is old and sure he knows how it works. Do some of you NOT get the idea that the ring he ended up with is worth a lot of money -- so clearly this was not the usual scenario for the ring scam? That doesn't surprise you? Or are you buying my story?

Not understanding this is like someone playing the shell game (pick which cup the ball is under), and report that the scam guy ended up handing you $500 for guessing the right one. Wouldn't THAT surprise you, and wouldn't the poster have a point in asking how or why that happened when the whole point is that the scammer takes in money rather than handing it out?

Patrick - my guess is a lot of the folks who responded DID NOT read the whole post that vedette wrote. They probably took a look at the title, read the first few sentences, then came to a conclusion that this is another one of those "Warning! Gold Ring Scam" post.

yk, I'm sure you're right. Many people here love to respond as if they are experts without even reading the initial post -- yet alone following disussions. So who ends up looking stupid? Not the original poster.

Nikki and annhig--

Had a similar experience at the Trocadero overlook to the Eiffel Tower. The plaza was crawling with what were from all appearances Gypsy women, and like several of the tourists there I was approached by them on a couple separate occasions. Just said a very curt "Allez vouz en!" to them and ignored their hurt looks -- no, you're not taking me in that easily, sorry.

Years ago, in Avignon, As I walked by the Ferris Wheel I saw a cute dog wearing a denim jacket sitting on what looked like an organ.
I snapped a photo and started walking away. Out of nowhere, it seemed a young gypsy girl came running after me demanding I pay for taking her dog's photo.
I kept walking and she started hurling $#$%&$!s

This ring scam was attempted on me 14 times--yes, 14 times--whilst I was in Paris.

Most times the scam took place in the Tuileries near the steps going up to the Louvre.

A couple of times took place near Invalides. Once, outside the Orsay.

"It is gold!"

Your old friend,
T

We were also approached by a girl with the ring outside Musee D'Orsay in September, but thanks to the great info from Fodorites I had read before we left I was aware of the scam. I was actually pretty excited that it had actually happened after it being talked about on this forum!!!