Beware when coming to Paris. Like any major city, Paris has a lot of beggars that bother you. In New York, you have them, in Madrid you have them, in Atlanta and so forth. They particularly target tourists. They know that foreigners are unaware of their tricks, but the natives know better.
Yesterday I was at the Seine river near the Eiffel Tower and I observed a scam take place. There was an American couple sitting by the river enjoying themselves when a girl walked up to them and asked, “do you speak English”? Unfortunately the couple said “yes” and the scam began. There is a group of them that use different stories to fool foreigners into giving them money. Whether they work together or not, I don’t know but I have seen a few of them talking to each other.
Anyhow, the story of this particular one I watched went something like, “I am from Bosnia and I have a child there who really needs money. But I don’t have a job and I really want to provide for my child, could you give me some money”? The lady suspected she was lying because she kept asking, “then what are you doing in Paris”? The girl had no answer. But the gentleman just wanted to give her a little money. So they reached in their pockets and gave her a few euros.
It is kind of the couple but this is a scam that’s popular in Paris and the sad thing is that it ruins it for the ones that are really in need. After observing this, I walked up to the couple after I finished writing my poem and told them I had observed this happen to other foreigners and they should be careful. They were appreciative of this and thanked me.
Although as they did and as I want to give to this people, it is very difficult to do so when you think you are getting bamboozled and told a tear dropper story for the sake of a few euros. I don’t mind giving them 3 euros or so if I know their cause is legit. Ultimately you are the one to judge for yourself. Most people can sniff a scam from a mile away. For the rest of us, just be observant; see what is around you. A few hours later, one of the girls involved in the scam came up to me and asked, “do you speak English”? I said, not today and she moved on to the next traveller.Don’t get scammed like we did when we went to china.Beware and safe travels.
What say you? Ever been scammed?
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