In Canada we have a chain store similar to Walmart called Canadian Tire --- As part of offering their customers discounts, when you pay cash, Canadian Tire gives you your change and an additional percentage in coupons called "Canadian Tire Money". they look and feel like banknotes and can be redeemed at face value at Canadian Tire stores as a cash equivalent. Once, a neighbor went to Europe and had some Canadian Tire money in his wallet. When the cash scammer tried to scam him, he said that he only had Canadian money and agreed to trade the Canadian Tire money in exchange -- the scammer got scammed :-0)
i bet you got tire money when you use cash is because the store didn't have to pay service fee on the credit card, oh one more not sure in Canada, but in the usa when buying gass they charge more for credit over cash, so go and buy a gas card with credit but at the pump it is counted as cash(gas card)
Quick note about the ATM. I was in Lithuania and when I was taking out money, the button to decline conversion did not work. Literally nothing was happening when pressing that button. BUT, if you used the same button in other menus, like changing language, or selecting amount of money you want to withdraw, it worked without any issues. So be aware that on some ATM's the button to decline conversion might liberally be disabled.
I think it's always a good rule of thumb to hit up the bureau de change before you leave your home country and make sure you have the equivalent of at least $50 to $100 in cash, per day, for each person travelling. If you need more when you get to your destination, find out which kiosks are reputable and charge fair rates, and use them. But always go to a reputable bureau de change in your home country in the first instance.
Here in Portugal, something like 95% of ATMs are of the national multibanco network, the remaining being those yellow euronet ones. Both are completely safe to use as long as you reject any conversion, always selecting to be charged in euros. Theres no other way for them to get you since withdrawal fees are illegal here, regardless of the amount being withdrawn.
The non multibanco ones are safe if you use a Portuguese card, the second you use a card for another country (especially a card not in €) it will try to make you accept the conversation and also charge a fee. The one that tried to "scam" me did tell me it would charge me a fee if I accepted... Ofc I did not accept and went to a free multibanco instead.
And also there are other than the euronet ones on Portugal's streets, that are not multibanco, and they work just like the euronet ones, trying to "scam" tourists out of their money.
@@ric_dk-9520 Never seen any machine that isnt either multibanco or euronet. Both of them behave exactly the same with foreign cards, trying to have you use their conversion rate which, as I mentioned, you have to reject. Only difference is that with Portuguese cards multibanco unlocks a lot of other options besides withdrawals, while euronet behaves the same as with foreign cards. Seems you might be confusing a fee for the currency conversion, which they both have, with a fee for the withdrawal itself which neither of them has
A scam I recently fell for was in Nepal. The super charismatic guy showed me around the area and was telling me all about his religious festival which was on at the time. He then led me into a art gallery and I was so lost, I had no idea where I was. I basically had to buy one of their fake paintings in order to get out safely. Leant a lot that day. If youre ever in Kathmandu and a man starts to talk about a painting school, ignore him!
Your video of Florence helped me a lot last week. Curiously in Florence and Bologna I saw the same guys and girl with a green stand, claiming the wanted a signature for charity and then ask you for money. Last Saturday in Florence was at top of the Sanctuary of Saint Miniato, where an american couple was falling for it, and I said " Carefull that's a scam." And then the same guys in the next Tuesday, where near the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna and aproached me, and i said "What? Are you here? Didn't i saw you in Florence a few days ago? I know the scam bro, don't make a fool of yourself." And the guys just took the table and left! Thanks HONEST GUIDE, for giving me the knowledge and confidence to deal with this parasites!
I'll never forget the guy who tried to scam me in Stockholm lol i was walking home from the gym and he drove slowly by my side and asked me to help him. I approached the car window and he told me how he was the founder of an Italian watchmaker based in Switzerland and that he had 5 watches worth over 100k euro each but he had trouble shipping them. If i could just ship them for him i would get a watch of my own. And he drove like a Ford Fiesta in a gray Stockholm suburb haha. I remember thinking that this guy, whose English was really good, could actually amount to something if he put the same work and effort into a real job or education as he did with his scam
You can walk slowly and enjoy the surroundings too, just always keep in mind you dont owe anybody anything and nobody can hold it against you if you don't give them the time of day :)
7:47 These Euronet and some other ATMs are almost everywhere in popular tourist destinations in Croatia, I've been to Island Pag, Biograd Na Moru, Baška etc, the number of them is just insane. Always try to find your banks ATM or Google a well respected bank of that country and instead find their ATMs if you have to withdraw cash quickly.
Exactly, as a Croatian, I can confirm this. Euronet and other similar ATM's are mostly on islands and the touristy areas of Croatia. They probably placed them there since people dont have any other ATMs (they are in bigger cities, e.g in Komiza, Vis there are like 6 of them because the closest other ATM's are in Vis which is a 20km drive) to withdraw from so they turn to theirs. You should use an ATM from a respectable bank
I am not even from a European country but euronet ATM's have been popping up here. And by Popping up I mean there used to be a bank specific ATM then replaced it with a euronet.
We should completely ban this Euronet company, they just scam people, it's always better to use ATM of local bank. In Croatia, you have plenty of Erste group ATMs, my bank is also part of Erste group, so I had withdraw for free in Croatia almost everywhere.
The "Blue Files" scam also happens in Berlin. And while you were distracted filling in their "cause", they also had a pickpocket on standby to help themselves to your money and belongings.
ye, I fell for it on my first day in Berlin. I gave them only 5 euro, but it still sucks. I come from a poor eastern European country , but these scams don't happened there. In Berlin, however, you can see them everywhere in the city center
In my city in France I always annoy them by signing to them. If they can't even repond to "how are you doing" I just tell everyone around me to not give them anything.
@@Anny95290 what ? Where ? I never noticed them but maybe they don‘t approach me because I am a local. I will keep an eye out and fuck them up if see them scamming.
Awesome videos which helped me when I went to Prague in 2019! When I watched your videos again it reminded me of my Taxi driver form the airport telling me to watch out both for Euronet and exchange shops and also recommending your youtube channel to avoid being ripped off or scammed while in Prague :P
On one of my Japan trips a Filipina tried to get me with the clipboard scam. Tried the whole "You're not gonna think of the children?" but when I replied "Yeah I don't care, I'm an asshole." she had no words hahaha.
Well done I did something similar in Paris years ago… These group of people with matching t shirts 2 km away from the Eiffel Tower we’re approaching people with clip boards claiming to be raising money for deaf homeless teenagers. I got angry and yelled at one of the girls so bad she started softly crying and they briefly stopped approaching people until I left
I've been watching this channel since 2018 and with out a doubt it has been an absolute life-saver. It made Czechia one of my favourite and enjoyable trips in all of Europe. Loved the architecture, beer, food and people... all top notch. Anyways, I think you lads are doing God's work! Here's to you boys, cheers and love from Canada!
@@mrdictator7030 The word "Czechia" is a acceptable shortening of "Czech Republic", similar to calling "The United States of America" simply "USA" or "America".
Hey guys, i was in Prague last week and it was great, your videos helped a lot. One thing I've noticed are these "cannabis shops" everywhere. as i understand cannabis is illegal in the Czech Republic and these shops are another scam targeting uneducated tourists. It'll be cool if you would make a video about it. Thank you for making Prague a better place!
I don't know if it's the same in Czech Republic as it is in Germany. Here we have a lot of weed shops aswell, that sell everything you could need/want for weed, since so many consume it, but not actual weed. Not a scam here.
One of the most valuable tips I can give anyone when travelling is DO NOT PUT ANYTHING IN YOUR BACK POCKETS! Always put your wallet, your keys, your phone, etc. in your FRONT pants pockets. Do this when at home too. It's easy to pick your back pocket but nearly impossible to pick your front, especially if you're fat in tight pants.
Ahoj! First I would like to thank for this channel, it helped a lot with my last 3 weeks in Prague. I had a situation in a Restaurant close to Charles bridge, at the and of our meal I said to the waiter that I would split the total with my colleage. I used my card and also my colleage paid his part… As I was in a business trip I use to add the value in my expense report app, lucky I did this before leave the restaurant and I realized that we both were charged the full price, I called the waiter, showed my extract and he gave us money back without any complain, he said it was a mistake of the card machine. I am not sure if it’s a scam but we need to be really careful!
Split bill is not a thing here and definitely not a cultural habit. It's very exceptional and you have to process it manually somehow as cash registers and terminals not support it. I assume they just did mistake in nonstandard situation which they have to process manually.
@@rybaluc Split the bill is totaly normal thing in Czech Republic and there is no excuse for waiter. When he can't do that, he should say that, I think it was just a scam. Just stop lie to people that spliting the bill is problem, it's only few weeks when I've been in Vietnamese restaurant with few other people, when we were leaving, waiter showed to us on display what our table had and he split it between 3 people in few seconds, it's not problem at all. Today electronic cash registers have even special buttons for that, they don't have to count anything or make a new order seperately or something, it's super simple. Maybe not in all countries, but here in Czechia, it's simple because every restaurant have electronic register, it's mandatory for like 10 years, they have to send their bills to ministery of finance instantly or something, I don't know how it works, but you don't see some counting manualy anymore, you just press split the bill button and it's done.
Being in Turkey, especially in Istanbul, on the Galata bridge, (that place is always crowded so there's any specific target, only good hearted people). There's a scam of a guy who drops his shoe polishing brush, I saw that he dropped it and I thought that he really dropped it without noticing it, so I picked it up and ran to give it back. I was with my husband, and it was summer, my husband was wearing shoes that could be cleaned, so the guy thanked us and "offered" to clean my husband's shoes in return, my husband said it was not necessary, but the guy insisted. In the process of cleaning his shoes, the guy told us about his life and that he has children and a family to support, so that touches your heart a little bit, I'm not from Turkey and I thought that ₺10 lira was fine as a little tip, and when the guy saw the money I was planning to give him, he told us that it was nothing, and that he wanted at least ₺30 liras. I know it's a scam, because one day we went for a walk and a man dropped his polishing shoe brush, and this time we just walked by, this time the man had to came back to pick up the brush by himself. So, if you ever in Turkey, better watch out.
I actually tried the euronet ATM in Poland recently, I chose decline conversion but it still said it would cost 9 euros to take out the money 😂went to a different ATM where it only cost 3 euros (probably a rip-off as well but I didn't really have time to look for other solutions) 💩
Everyone should NEVER FEEL ASHAMED or let anyone get away with being scammed, ripped off or tricked. I don't care always film it, report it even if you feel embarssed or hopeless or even if it's not much just think if you let it pass maybe the person before you did the same and they just keep doing it.
I'm glad for your videos. I've seen all of the scams you've shown us. There is the famous shoe polish scam in Istanbul whereby the shoe polish guy will drop his brush as he walks in front of you and pretends not to notice. The brush itself is held in place by a tiny peice of almost invisible fishing line. He lets go of it intentially in the hope you will pick it up and from there you are lured into an unwanted show shine service
Here in Brazil, I've once been in Salvador's Elevador Lacerda and some scammers flocked around me and my mom (not knowing she's familiar with the place) and pretended to give us bracelets and whatever else as part of a tourist reception committee of some sorts. To then pressure us into making a "donation". It was so stressing I almost freaked out and shouted at them. And here in São Paulo, I've seen a fe wtimes people making a "project" where you can take magazines for free, but suggesting a donation, and they REALLY want you to make a donation, to the point of not accepting otherwise. Finally, a pretty crappy one I used to see a lot in Aracaju were toy sellers who would first approach the kids, give them the toy and show them how it work to then charge the parent. Now, the parent is going to look like the bad guy who took the toy away from their kid who can't understand yet what's going on. That one always felt extra crappy to watch
Glad you and your mom saw straight through those attempted scams Are there any scams to be aware of during the carnival celebration? I went 6 years ago with a guided tour but never saw any But I bet they are out there
@@billbrasky8860 I think the classic ones are getting charged more for stuff if you seem foreign, getting stuff "for free" and getting pressured into "donating" for it, getting pickpocketed (can happen especially easy in crowded places like a carnival celebration) or just straight up mugged. Oh, and airport taxis charging a ludicrously high rate and taking long paths to let that price roll up (and, nowadays, since uber and such apps are more popular and, honestly, safer in that regards, drivers that claim to be ubers serving you at the entrance to the airport, instead of being called by the app). I personally don't see many of those in my daily life except maybe the "free stuff" one, but I've heard quite a bit about some of them. Oh, and, in Salvador, I've seen people impersonating city officials charging parking fees where they don't exist, but those you usually just pay them anyway because otherwise you get your car scratched.
Scammers are here in U.S. too. My husband fell for the gas money scam few yrs ago at the gas station. The scammer said he needs gas money to go home, white male and well dressed. My husband gave him $20, then drove a block to the restaurant to meet with me. After we sat down, he saw the scammer right outside of the restaurant and asking others for money too.
I wanted to report that alot of my fellow countrymen are reporting getting scammed in Georgia, Batumi. You'd sit in a restaurant and order somethings from the menu and either A. The menu was old, and the new prices are like 10 times as much. B. You pay for the food but there is a VIP charge cause you saw in specific area that you weren't told about. C. They give you gifts or add other tabs of women around, to inflate the final cost. It was reported the bill could reach hundreds of dollars if not thousands. And there usually is a group of mean looking guys waiting to force you to pay. I didn't take this on hearsay along, I check google map for the city of Batumi and found out there are alot of reviews that state the same things from people from around the globe.
For a long time in Spain in the ball and cups scam when one of the accomplices of the scammer saw a police said "agua, agua" (water water in Spanish) as a signal to pack up and run. This phrase was so widespread that everyone older than certain age knows exactly what it means and became a joke warning when something dubious is taking place. I wonder if there are phrases with similar origins in other countries.
Pickpockets are what I would worry about in Spain, the police there are far too soft on them. I hope that changes soon. Gypsies and Africans act like they run the cities there. I hope they get taught some respect
Here in the USA, a variation of the blue file scam has been going on since the 70s and people still fall for most. People go to large store parking lots and roam with business cards stating they are deaf and collecting for charity and the ASL alphabet oh the back. They approach people entering and exiting their cars (or sitting in the car) and hand them the card.
As someone who has studied and can use sign language, I find it extremely funny when you actually try to use it on these kinds of "deaf" person and they do not understand. Like you were using sign language, my dude? Wtf?
One scam I got subjected to was people saying they recognize me from the hotel and they said they had like a "festival" or something with cheap prices so they took me to their shop and tried to sell me brutally overpriced stuff. They grabbed me before I had gotten a chance to check out the bazaar so they try to get you before you have any idea what the prices were. This happened in Tunisia.
My niece busted a scammer years ago. We were out for dinner as I was in Vancouver where she lived at the time on business. As we were walking someone came up to us with a very heavy "French Accent", trying to get money. She switched to perfect French and the guy's face just dropped. BUSTED!.
I once saw a scammer in London who was doing the cup and ball thing but he did it different. He could completely choose where he wanted the balls to go. So when someone approached him and wanted to 'play' the game in the first round he'd put the ball in the cup the person would choose. Then the scammer would instruct or say to that the player needs to play a second round or even a third which the player would always lose. Greetings from The Netherlands
I ran into the first scam in my hometown here in the USA. Guy pulled up his car to me in a Walmart parking lot with his whole "family" in tow. Asked me for gas money so he could get back home. Then he said he'd start giving me the gold off his wrists and fingers and at that point I was like, lol.
I suggest you talk about Germany's accommodation scams on Facebook. There are plenty of scammers who offer accommodation in major cities like Berlin, and Frankfurt on Facebook. Without viewing the apartment they will ask you to send money to some account. They will send the apartment keys via DHL. Why I am suggesting this is as there are a lot of students who are coming to Germany to study but hard to find accommodation and they are landing in such scams. I experienced the same 100 times.
What a sadness, I'm from Pisa and it's vary sad how many business man around the tower trying to charge the tourist with expensive prices, without showing clearly in the menu.
The more advanced card skimmers can: 1. Involve much larger panels up to nearly the entire facade, so a little jiggling won’t help, or 2. Be small enough to fit entirely within the slot. At least in the US I always look for ATMs inside banks.
I've encountered the deaf, mute scam in 2 different countries, the first covered the money column and didn't say a word to me since I was in a country I don't speak the native language of. The other seemed to show the full sheet and even had a conversation with me. The second was a lot more open and polite and dare I say, more likely to receive a signature from people.
I saw the cup and ball one for the first time when I went to visit family in Mexico. I already knew it was a scam. I was at a pharmacy with my mom that was right next to and saw a elderly couple they were about to give them money and I told them not because it’s a scam.The scammers got very mad and started threatening me bc I called them out. I’m just happy that they got violent and threatening me and not with the elderly couple(if that makes sense)
For the deaf scam: get an airhorn, one of those loud horns with air pressure. Sneak up on the supposedly deaf person and then blow the horn close to their ear. No harm done, they are deaf after all. Would be weird when a deaf person suddenly jumps and gets startled because of a loud noise, i mean that would probably efficiently convince all surrounding people that the person was a cheat.
@@stagetheory yeah yeah like stand about 4 meters away or 12 feet and blast it all of a sudden while you're hiding behind a trashcan or something, it'd totally get them
There is similar situation with the blue files in Cracow and others town in Poland. People from Ukraine ask for donation for disabled children. They have some documents but all registered as the Ukrainian funadtion. It is interesting and there is a need to check it more deeply.
Back in 2014 I was very irritated by it, because back then i was working for P.I.N. foundation in Prague and one of those scammers had on the papers logo of another NGO from Ireland with whom our colleages in Syria were cooperating. So I immediately smell something fishy (i was thinking, that I would be one of first people who would know about such project). When I contacted the other organisation, they actually responded with quite good ammount of information. Those scammers could be described as beggar kings mafia. Based (probably) in Romania, they "employ" small army of people. Usually, quite near the same spot the scammer is operating is parked black minivan with some bigger fish boss waiting for the money (because they so much believe to each other). They are not so dangerous as organised crime usually is, but they are nonetheless organised crimminals, because this little scam is actually only one of many they are using. It actually may be that most of those petty crimes might very well be organised by the same group...
The sad part about the "blue file" scam is atleast around here there was a time that method of charity was legit. I had one who was so happy when I signed to him ("sorry no thanks") that he dropped everything to chat with me (in sign). Now I'm guessing cause of the copycat scammers the legit ones are no where to be found.
A very annoying scam in the UK, especially in London, is that many restaurant apply a hidden "Discretionary Service Charge" of sometimes even 15% of the final bill, in order to be able to advertise lower prices on the menu. They often get angry when you rightfully ask to get it deducted, as it is discretionary. And it is further annoying the government is not doing anything at all to stop, ban and condemn this practice.
That's just the suggested tip though, not really a scam. And it's not really hidden if it's plainly written on the bill, is it? As for the waiters getting angry, that's a bit unfriendly, but well it's London, not known for friendly strangers
I guess not. I thought this forum focuses on global street scams (“global”… get it?) so why not in Dubai. Scammers usually choose wealthy cities to “work” so my question to the forum was not as stupid as you made it sound…
@@camtuhuynh4631 I meant that those portrayed at 0:38 are gypsies from Romania(country in Eastern Europe, nothing to do with UAE), pretending to be some rich sheikhs from Dubai. Now that was the joke. Sorry if you found my comment offensive.
@@Seba-ch3yq No, your sarcasm is. My question was legitimate since we are on this platform that only deals with global street scams. No need to turn to sarcasm- Not the place nor the time for that!
The fake deaf-mute scam is an old one and I'm sad to say that I got scammed by it more than 10 years ago in France during my only trip to Europe. These scammers were absolutely everywhere on train stations. =/
Sorry to hear that. Hope it didn't ruin your trip. I fell for the gas money one 4 years ago or so. These people only care about kindness if they can make money off of it.
@@InsoIence Hey man. It didn't ruin my trip at all and.. actually, at first, I didn't even knew I was getting scammed. Someone at the hostel told me about it later. Anyways. It was an awesome trip. I was just surprised to realize it's something that's still happening. Thanks though. Have a nice week. =]
Tip: no business ever will say they are based or trading with "England". England is for domiciles and when people are in conversation. Tax and ID work are always registered in either Great Britain or the United Kingdom.
Here in Lithuania 99% of ATMs are regular banks like Swedbank, Luminor, LKU, etc. But 1%- of ATMs are Euronet. What's even worse that there is one in Vilnius Airport! An inatant touristy scam!
The cups and balls one is crazy, I was on holiday in london and on the bridge in front of the big ben, there were about 10 of them, one every few meters, all doing the same scam...
For the "gold" of the first scam in this video we even have a word in Germany called "Autobahngold", since in the 50thies to the 70thies this scam was pretty common on pull-ins in northern Italy during holiday season.
I am a solo traveler and have been to prague in 2017, and I was just turned 21 so when these scammers see a solo traveler looking like kid I was the target 😂I was waiting on a train station and I was approached by a guy pretending to be tourist. He told me a really sob story. And he needed some money maybe around 200-300 euros to go back home,and he told me that he had been scammed by someone as there are many scammers in prague. He showed me his Id card and promised me that he would return the money when he reaches home. For a moment I actually had believed his bull story. But as I travel on a budget I couldn't give him anything and I just walked away. We chatted for 30-40 mins 😂 but after getting more mature in traveling now I know about few tourist traps and I save my self. honest guide is doing really good job in exposing. I wish There Should be atleast one dude like him in every country, exposing scam. As a traveller if someone ever gets scammed no matter how beautiful the place is and how good the people are, it doesn't leave a good image and a good memory in their life. It will be passed on to others as well. Same as one bad fruit can ruin the whole basket. I recently followed this change you guys are Doing great Keep it up
Hats off to all these people for not getting violent back. One of these scammers try me and they’ll see a wrath of violence my doctor told me I have a problem with.
I had to get 500€ for a deposit in Prague and used Euronet ATM. Having watched Janek I knew these "stole" some extra money. I couldn't decline conversion, it just spat out my card and cancelled the transaction.
Lmao, i'd just be like "well, go trade in your watch for some gas money man, if you're that desperate. Or, idk, do a little dance for me. Dance for the money boy!" Then throw a couple dollars on the ground, forcing them to pick it up.
Wow, I just fell for that ATM scam in Canada the other day, and I lost 12% of withdrawal to the bad exchange rate. Thank you for the tips! Been binging your videos now to travel safer.
I loved watching ball and cup games. It's very impressive. But I think most people know that it's a scam. They want to see it up close or they think they can outsmart the person. I think this is completely different to a currency conversion scam or the like. Anything you put up in a game of chance is not money that you put any value on.
There was this dude who knew the balls and cup thingy, and he tried it, but he was a magician himself, and he slight of hand a ball under the cup he choose. XD had to pay him big time.
As a Muslim and proud European im very pissed off with these men with arabic names to scam in Europe. How dare they , if they did this in their own countries, they will be rightly Punished properly, now if they really are named with islamic name i hope they be recognised in their own country and hope the authorities picks them up for scaming on European soil. So keeo exposeing them on videos, ur all doing an amazing job well done 👏✔️asalamualaykum god bless 🙌
Scammers unfortunately are the plague of every highly touristic places worldwide. This is why I now try to avoid all overly touristic places, or at least the peak touristic season. And always very cautious.
The one where a seeming affluent person properly dressed approaches you and asks for money for petrol, water, food or travel ticket is very common in every country in nearly every country on the earth. To avoid skimming devices, I usually use ATMs which are in a busy areas or attached to a bank apart from checking for the add-on devices. The add-on skimming devices are usually attached via a double tape and tapping on them a little bit harder you can see if its something of an add-on.
A couple of years ago in Athens, I observed a scam that I thought was quite clever. A couple of girls were sitting in a touristy square with a cup in front of them with some coins in it. As tourists were walking by, the girls would pull a hidden string attached to the cup tipping it over as if the tourist had knocked it over accidentally. The coins would fall out and make noise, drawing the attention of the tourist, who would be guilt tripped into giving them some money.
Dodges a bullet when an ATM in Amsterdam suggested their own conversion. I declined since my bank charged no forgen fees and reimburses atm fees but probably not the additional charges
I encounterd the 'deaf-mute' blue file scammers for the first time in Zagreb a few weeks ago, and I was 90% sure it was a scam. Seeing this video has confirmed I was right! It seemed that the first thing they do is encourage you to sign the paper to 'show your support for deaf-blind people' (I walked away at this point because I could sense it was a scam). But then the right-hand column of the paper had donation amounts written on it. So I imagine the final step after you sign to show your support is they then point to the 'dontation' row and you see that other people who have signed also donated. You might feel pressured to donate because others before you have. Clever, but ultimately immoral.
When i was 16 i was waiting for a friend and one of those scammers approched me and i was young so i believed it and signed but they were hiding the row with donations until i finished signing and then i realized its a scam and said i cant pay
2:30 well that also got to the small city i live in and lost 10 euros to one of those, cause that was new at the time and honestly in a none main city scams like that badly happen
dude janek i was going to new york this one time and was got by this one scam. there was this dude who dressed up as a monk and slipped a bracelet onto my wrist as well as my mom and sister's wrists as we were entering central park. then he went off on his script about "give me $20 for peace" or whatever, and we kinda knew it was a scam but we didn't want to just tell him to fuck off. we probably should've had the balls, though.
that blue file scam is very similar to a "job" here in australia where people ask you for money to donate to a cause and most of the money goes into pockets of "staff" and very little actually goes to the cause
I have faced a scam in Bangalore, India where if you take an auto or tuktuk and pay cash of higher denomination value like ₹500, they will divert you and then will show and tell that you have given him a smaller denomination note like ₹100 and demand you the difference. This has come down now due to digital payments through QR code and UPI.
In Canada we have a chain store similar to Walmart called Canadian Tire --- As part of offering their customers discounts, when you pay cash, Canadian Tire gives you your change and an additional percentage in coupons called "Canadian Tire Money". they look and feel like banknotes and can be redeemed at face value at Canadian Tire stores as a cash equivalent. Once, a neighbor went to Europe and had some Canadian Tire money in his wallet. When the cash scammer tried to scam him, he said that he only had Canadian money and agreed to trade the Canadian Tire money in exchange -- the scammer got scammed :-0)
Haha!
They switched to a card system (Triangle Rewards) in 2018. You can still trade in Canadian Tire money but they don't give it out.
@@SenshiSunPower it's better this way, those 5 cent notes would get destroyed in my wallet before I had enough to remember using them.
i bet you got tire money when you use cash is because the store didn't have to pay service fee on the credit card, oh one more not sure in Canada, but in the usa when buying gass they charge more for credit over cash, so go and buy a gas card with credit but at the pump it is counted as cash(gas card)
Charity in general are scams.. the directors have a good life, big cars and nice houses and all travel your donation pays for..
Quick note about the ATM. I was in Lithuania and when I was taking out money, the button to decline conversion did not work. Literally nothing was happening when pressing that button. BUT, if you used the same button in other menus, like changing language, or selecting amount of money you want to withdraw, it worked without any issues.
So be aware that on some ATM's the button to decline conversion might liberally be disabled.
I think it's always a good rule of thumb to hit up the bureau de change before you leave your home country and make sure you have the equivalent of at least $50 to $100 in cash, per day, for each person travelling. If you need more when you get to your destination, find out which kiosks are reputable and charge fair rates, and use them. But always go to a reputable bureau de change in your home country in the first instance.
Here in Portugal, something like 95% of ATMs are of the national multibanco network, the remaining being those yellow euronet ones. Both are completely safe to use as long as you reject any conversion, always selecting to be charged in euros. Theres no other way for them to get you since withdrawal fees are illegal here, regardless of the amount being withdrawn.
The non multibanco ones are safe if you use a Portuguese card, the second you use a card for another country (especially a card not in €) it will try to make you accept the conversation and also charge a fee. The one that tried to "scam" me did tell me it would charge me a fee if I accepted... Ofc I did not accept and went to a free multibanco instead.
And also there are other than the euronet ones on Portugal's streets, that are not multibanco, and they work just like the euronet ones, trying to "scam" tourists out of their money.
@@ric_dk-9520 Never seen any machine that isnt either multibanco or euronet. Both of them behave exactly the same with foreign cards, trying to have you use their conversion rate which, as I mentioned, you have to reject. Only difference is that with Portuguese cards multibanco unlocks a lot of other options besides withdrawals, while euronet behaves the same as with foreign cards. Seems you might be confusing a fee for the currency conversion, which they both have, with a fee for the withdrawal itself which neither of them has
Colonizers
Have you seen the orange ones? They don’t have the Multibanco sign but when you use them with Portuguese cards they are just like a MB atm.
A scam I recently fell for was in Nepal. The super charismatic guy showed me around the area and was telling me all about his religious festival which was on at the time. He then led me into a art gallery and I was so lost, I had no idea where I was. I basically had to buy one of their fake paintings in order to get out safely. Leant a lot that day.
If youre ever in Kathmandu and a man starts to talk about a painting school, ignore him!
ok.
Your video of Florence helped me a lot last week.
Curiously in Florence and Bologna I saw the same guys and girl with a green stand, claiming the wanted a signature for charity and then ask you for money.
Last Saturday in Florence was at top of the Sanctuary of Saint Miniato, where an american couple was falling for it, and I said " Carefull that's a scam." And then the same guys in the next Tuesday, where near the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna and aproached me, and i said "What? Are you here? Didn't i saw you in Florence a few days ago? I know the scam bro, don't make a fool of yourself." And the guys just took the table and left! Thanks HONEST GUIDE, for giving me the knowledge and confidence to deal with this parasites!
The funny thing is that they not only try to scam tourists, but also us locals!
I'll never forget the guy who tried to scam me in Stockholm lol i was walking home from the gym and he drove slowly by my side and asked me to help him. I approached the car window and he told me how he was the founder of an Italian watchmaker based in Switzerland and that he had 5 watches worth over 100k euro each but he had trouble shipping them. If i could just ship them for him i would get a watch of my own. And he drove like a Ford Fiesta in a gray Stockholm suburb haha.
I remember thinking that this guy, whose English was really good, could actually amount to something if he put the same work and effort into a real job or education as he did with his scam
What I've learned from this channel is to walk swiftly and know your destination. Don't look panhandlers in the eye. JUST KEEP WALKING
Thank you Janek
You can walk slowly and enjoy the surroundings too, just always keep in mind you dont owe anybody anything and nobody can hold it against you if you don't give them the time of day :)
7:47 These Euronet and some other ATMs are almost everywhere in popular tourist destinations in Croatia, I've been to Island Pag, Biograd Na Moru, Baška etc, the number of them is just insane. Always try to find your banks ATM or Google a well respected bank of that country and instead find their ATMs if you have to withdraw cash quickly.
Exactly, as a Croatian, I can confirm this. Euronet and other similar ATM's are mostly on islands and the touristy areas of Croatia. They probably placed them there since people dont have any other ATMs (they are in bigger cities, e.g in Komiza, Vis there are like 6 of them because the closest other ATM's are in Vis which is a 20km drive) to withdraw from so they turn to theirs. You should use an ATM from a respectable bank
I am not even from a European country but euronet ATM's have been popping up here. And by Popping up I mean there used to be a bank specific ATM then replaced it with a euronet.
We should completely ban this Euronet company, they just scam people, it's always better to use ATM of local bank. In Croatia, you have plenty of Erste group ATMs, my bank is also part of Erste group, so I had withdraw for free in Croatia almost everywhere.
The "Blue Files" scam also happens in Berlin. And while you were distracted filling in their "cause", they also had a pickpocket on standby to help themselves to your money and belongings.
ye, I fell for it on my first day in Berlin. I gave them only 5 euro, but it still sucks. I come from a poor eastern European country , but these scams don't happened there. In Berlin, however, you can see them everywhere in the city center
In my city in France I always annoy them by signing to them. If they can't even repond to "how are you doing" I just tell everyone around me to not give them anything.
@@Anny95290 what ? Where ? I never noticed them but maybe they don‘t approach me because I am a local. I will keep an eye out and fuck them up if see them scamming.
Awesome videos which helped me when I went to Prague in 2019! When I watched your videos again it reminded me of my Taxi driver form the airport telling me to watch out both for Euronet and exchange shops and also recommending your youtube channel to avoid being ripped off or scammed while in Prague :P
Thank you for your videos! I backpacked across Europe this summer and avoided every scam! Plus the atm tips were so helpful.
this dudes voice is so good for tv he needs to have a television show about scams and tourist advice
I watched your Channel before going on a 5 country 8 city eu trip and you saved me from at least 4 scams THANKYOU !!! ( I am from canada )
On one of my Japan trips a Filipina tried to get me with the clipboard scam. Tried the whole "You're not gonna think of the children?" but when I replied "Yeah I don't care, I'm an asshole." she had no words hahaha.
Well done
I did something similar in Paris years ago…
These group of people with matching t shirts 2 km away from the Eiffel Tower we’re approaching people with clip boards claiming to be raising money for deaf homeless teenagers. I got angry and yelled at one of the girls so bad she started softly crying and they briefly stopped approaching people until I left
@@billbrasky8860 Legendary!
I've been watching this channel since 2018 and with out a doubt it has been an absolute life-saver. It made Czechia one of my favourite and enjoyable trips in all of Europe. Loved the architecture, beer, food and people... all top notch.
Anyways, I think you lads are doing God's work!
Here's to you boys, cheers and love from Canada!
Love from Czechia to Canada
@@sradam1942 I feel honoured! Man, how I miss Pilsen... Absolutely would visit again!
I have no clue what Czechia is but there is a lovely country named Czech Republic, maybe u meant that one :)
@@mrdictator7030 The word "Czechia" is a acceptable shortening of "Czech Republic", similar to calling "The United States of America" simply "USA" or "America".
@@djm5687 no it is not acceptable as anything
Hey guys, i was in Prague last week and it was great, your videos helped a lot. One thing I've noticed are these "cannabis shops" everywhere. as i understand cannabis is illegal in the Czech Republic and these shops are another scam targeting uneducated tourists. It'll be cool if you would make a video about it. Thank you for making Prague a better place!
I don't know if it's the same in Czech Republic as it is in Germany. Here we have a lot of weed shops aswell, that sell everything you could need/want for weed, since so many consume it, but not actual weed. Not a scam here.
@@Mrlemar1 It's they same here, but some of them actually sell weed, but it's weed without THC, so it's just like a grass from your garden 🙂
I get one "deaf" girl arrested, they collect money on parking lot, i just go inside and called cops.
It's miracle, she gets hearing back instant.
One of the most valuable tips I can give anyone when travelling is DO NOT PUT ANYTHING IN YOUR BACK POCKETS! Always put your wallet, your keys, your phone, etc. in your FRONT pants pockets. Do this when at home too. It's easy to pick your back pocket but nearly impossible to pick your front, especially if you're fat in tight pants.
So proud of the honest community and how it's growing! We should throw a party for our Heroes :D
Thank you Janek i Honza for another fantastic informative vlog.
Love you guys from Chicago, USA
Fantastic content as always!Thank you for this video Honest Guide!
Ahoj! First I would like to thank for this channel, it helped a lot with my last 3 weeks in Prague. I had a situation in a Restaurant close to Charles bridge, at the and of our meal I said to the waiter that I would split the total with my colleage. I used my card and also my colleage paid his part… As I was in a business trip I use to add the value in my expense report app, lucky I did this before leave the restaurant and I realized that we both were charged the full price, I called the waiter, showed my extract and he gave us money back without any complain, he said it was a mistake of the card machine. I am not sure if it’s a scam but we need to be really careful!
you dont check your bills after receiving them?
You need to always check the terminal for the final amount and I recommend having your Bank App notify you of the amount paid immediatelly.
Split bill is not a thing here and definitely not a cultural habit.
It's very exceptional and you have to process it manually somehow as cash registers and terminals not support it.
I assume they just did mistake in nonstandard situation which they have to process manually.
@@michaelz.7140 most of people don't check bills, only pensioners do that
@@rybaluc Split the bill is totaly normal thing in Czech Republic and there is no excuse for waiter. When he can't do that, he should say that, I think it was just a scam. Just stop lie to people that spliting the bill is problem, it's only few weeks when I've been in Vietnamese restaurant with few other people, when we were leaving, waiter showed to us on display what our table had and he split it between 3 people in few seconds, it's not problem at all. Today electronic cash registers have even special buttons for that, they don't have to count anything or make a new order seperately or something, it's super simple. Maybe not in all countries, but here in Czechia, it's simple because every restaurant have electronic register, it's mandatory for like 10 years, they have to send their bills to ministery of finance instantly or something, I don't know how it works, but you don't see some counting manualy anymore, you just press split the bill button and it's done.
Being in Turkey, especially in Istanbul, on the Galata bridge, (that place is always crowded so there's any specific target, only good hearted people). There's a scam of a guy who drops his shoe polishing brush, I saw that he dropped it and I thought that he really dropped it without noticing it, so I picked it up and ran to give it back.
I was with my husband, and it was summer, my husband was wearing shoes that could be cleaned, so the guy thanked us and "offered" to clean my husband's shoes in return, my husband said it was not necessary, but the guy insisted. In the process of cleaning his shoes, the guy told us about his life and that he has children and a family to support, so that touches your heart a little bit, I'm not from Turkey and I thought that ₺10 lira was fine as a little tip, and when the guy saw the money I was planning to give him, he told us that it was nothing, and that he wanted at least ₺30 liras.
I know it's a scam, because one day we went for a walk and a man dropped his polishing shoe brush, and this time we just walked by, this time the man had to came back to pick up the brush by himself. So, if you ever in Turkey, better watch out.
You should throw the polishing brush in the bin next time, it’s not good to leave litter on the streets
You made this up.
I actually tried the euronet ATM in Poland recently, I chose decline conversion but it still said it would cost 9 euros to take out the money 😂went to a different ATM where it only cost 3 euros (probably a rip-off as well but I didn't really have time to look for other solutions) 💩
so next time go to exchange ... no comission or additio fees 👌.
or pay mastercard or visa 🤷🏼♂️
👊
In some shops u can withdraw money when u buy something
Thank you So Very Much for this public service Janek and Honza. 👍💯✔🙏💜
Everyone should NEVER FEEL ASHAMED or let anyone get away with being scammed, ripped off or tricked. I don't care always film it, report it even if you feel embarssed or hopeless or even if it's not much just think if you let it pass maybe the person before you did the same and they just keep doing it.
I'm glad for your videos. I've seen all of the scams you've shown us. There is the famous shoe polish scam in Istanbul whereby the shoe polish guy will drop his brush as he walks in front of you and pretends not to notice. The brush itself is held in place by a tiny peice of almost invisible fishing line. He lets go of it intentially in the hope you will pick it up and from there you are lured into an unwanted show shine service
Here in Brazil, I've once been in Salvador's Elevador Lacerda and some scammers flocked around me and my mom (not knowing she's familiar with the place) and pretended to give us bracelets and whatever else as part of a tourist reception committee of some sorts. To then pressure us into making a "donation". It was so stressing I almost freaked out and shouted at them.
And here in São Paulo, I've seen a fe wtimes people making a "project" where you can take magazines for free, but suggesting a donation, and they REALLY want you to make a donation, to the point of not accepting otherwise.
Finally, a pretty crappy one I used to see a lot in Aracaju were toy sellers who would first approach the kids, give them the toy and show them how it work to then charge the parent. Now, the parent is going to look like the bad guy who took the toy away from their kid who can't understand yet what's going on. That one always felt extra crappy to watch
@@nnctnlav True! Heard a cousin of mine once got scammed into some super expensive pitaya, which itself is already a disappointing fruit
Glad you and your mom saw straight through those attempted scams
Are there any scams to be aware of during the carnival celebration? I went 6 years ago with a guided tour but never saw any But I bet they are out there
@@billbrasky8860 I think the classic ones are getting charged more for stuff if you seem foreign, getting stuff "for free" and getting pressured into "donating" for it, getting pickpocketed (can happen especially easy in crowded places like a carnival celebration) or just straight up mugged. Oh, and airport taxis charging a ludicrously high rate and taking long paths to let that price roll up (and, nowadays, since uber and such apps are more popular and, honestly, safer in that regards, drivers that claim to be ubers serving you at the entrance to the airport, instead of being called by the app). I personally don't see many of those in my daily life except maybe the "free stuff" one, but I've heard quite a bit about some of them. Oh, and, in Salvador, I've seen people impersonating city officials charging parking fees where they don't exist, but those you usually just pay them anyway because otherwise you get your car scratched.
So glad that you guys are so honest you not only do scams :)
But, in all seriousness, some really nice anti scam content. Keep it up! 🔥
6:09 "a vojebali ho" - "and they cheated him". Czech is simply a beautiful language😄
One of the best UA-camrs out there for travelling advice. :D
Scammers are here in U.S. too. My husband fell for the gas money scam few yrs ago at the gas station. The scammer said he needs gas money to go home, white male and well dressed. My husband gave him $20, then drove a block to the restaurant to meet with me. After we sat down, he saw the scammer right outside of the restaurant and asking others for money too.
yes that's true. I dont know where that happend to yall at but I have seen the gas scammers here in Philadelphia
Fell for it in Luxembourg, expensive lesson for me. :,)
I wanted to report that alot of my fellow countrymen are reporting getting scammed in Georgia, Batumi. You'd sit in a restaurant and order somethings from the menu and either
A. The menu was old, and the new prices are like 10 times as much.
B. You pay for the food but there is a VIP charge cause you saw in specific area that you weren't told about.
C. They give you gifts or add other tabs of women around, to inflate the final cost.
It was reported the bill could reach hundreds of dollars if not thousands. And there usually is a group of mean looking guys waiting to force you to pay.
I didn't take this on hearsay along, I check google map for the city of Batumi and found out there are alot of reviews that state the same things from people from around the globe.
For a long time in Spain in the ball and cups scam when one of the accomplices of the scammer saw a police said "agua, agua" (water water in Spanish) as a signal to pack up and run. This phrase was so widespread that everyone older than certain age knows exactly what it means and became a joke warning when something dubious is taking place. I wonder if there are phrases with similar origins in other countries.
Pickpockets are what I would worry about in Spain, the police there are far too soft on them. I hope that changes soon. Gypsies and Africans act like they run the cities there.
I hope they get taught some respect
I wish people actually got in police records for things like these, and actual charges and even jail time if they keep returning to it.
You speak amazing English and do such great work, love your channel!
Here in the USA, a variation of the blue file scam has been going on since the 70s and people still fall for most. People go to large store parking lots and roam with business cards stating they are deaf and collecting for charity and the ASL alphabet oh the back.
They approach people entering and exiting their cars (or sitting in the car) and hand them the card.
As someone who has studied and can use sign language, I find it extremely funny when you actually try to use it on these kinds of "deaf" person and they do not understand. Like you were using sign language, my dude? Wtf?
What I never understand with a lot of these scammers is how they're not realizing they're doing more work for less pay than most people.
One scam I got subjected to was people saying they recognize me from the hotel and they said they had like a "festival" or something with cheap prices so they took me to their shop and tried to sell me brutally overpriced stuff. They grabbed me before I had gotten a chance to check out the bazaar so they try to get you before you have any idea what the prices were. This happened in Tunisia.
Did you get away?
My niece busted a scammer years ago. We were out for dinner as I was in Vancouver where she lived at the time on business. As we were walking someone came up to us with a very heavy "French Accent", trying to get money. She switched to perfect French and the guy's face just dropped. BUSTED!.
I once saw a scammer in London who was doing the cup and ball thing but he did it different. He could completely choose where he wanted the balls to go. So when someone approached him and wanted to 'play' the game in the first round he'd put the ball in the cup the person would choose. Then the scammer would instruct or say to that the player needs to play a second round or even a third which the player would always lose.
Greetings from The Netherlands
I ran into the first scam in my hometown here in the USA. Guy pulled up his car to me in a Walmart parking lot with his whole "family" in tow. Asked me for gas money so he could get back home. Then he said he'd start giving me the gold off his wrists and fingers and at that point I was like, lol.
U are doing very good job bro! Thnx you so much for those videos
I suggest you talk about Germany's accommodation scams on Facebook. There are plenty of scammers who offer accommodation in major cities like Berlin, and Frankfurt on Facebook. Without viewing the apartment they will ask you to send money to some account. They will send the apartment keys via DHL. Why I am suggesting this is as there are a lot of students who are coming to Germany to study but hard to find accommodation and they are landing in such scams. I experienced the same 100 times.
What a sadness, I'm from Pisa and it's vary sad how many business man around the tower trying to charge the tourist with expensive prices, without showing clearly in the menu.
The more advanced card skimmers can:
1. Involve much larger panels up to nearly the entire facade, so a little jiggling won’t help, or
2. Be small enough to fit entirely within the slot.
At least in the US I always look for ATMs inside banks.
I've encountered the deaf, mute scam in 2 different countries, the first covered the money column and didn't say a word to me since I was in a country I don't speak the native language of. The other seemed to show the full sheet and even had a conversation with me. The second was a lot more open and polite and dare I say, more likely to receive a signature from people.
I saw the cup and ball one for the first time when I went to visit family in Mexico. I already knew it was a scam. I was at a pharmacy with my mom that was right next to and saw a elderly couple they were about to give them money and I told them not because it’s a scam.The scammers got very mad and started threatening me bc I called them out. I’m just happy that they got violent and threatening me and not with the elderly couple(if that makes sense)
Every city should have guys like you.
For the deaf scam: get an airhorn, one of those loud horns with air pressure. Sneak up on the supposedly deaf person and then blow the horn close to their ear. No harm done, they are deaf after all. Would be weird when a deaf person suddenly jumps and gets startled because of a loud noise, i mean that would probably efficiently convince all surrounding people that the person was a cheat.
you could still feel compressed air right up in your ear. That’s a loud noise so someone could have some vibrations to pick up on!
But I do love the idea of the air horn further away
@@stagetheory yeah yeah like stand about 4 meters away or 12 feet and blast it all of a sudden while you're hiding behind a trashcan or something, it'd totally get them
@@red2theelectricboogaloo961 oh a thousand percent , it would def be fucking hilarious
There is similar situation with the blue files in Cracow and others town in Poland. People from Ukraine ask for donation for disabled children. They have some documents but all registered as the Ukrainian funadtion. It is interesting and there is a need to check it more deeply.
Back in 2014 I was very irritated by it, because back then i was working for P.I.N. foundation in Prague and one of those scammers had on the papers logo of another NGO from Ireland with whom our colleages in Syria were cooperating. So I immediately smell something fishy (i was thinking, that I would be one of first people who would know about such project). When I contacted the other organisation, they actually responded with quite good ammount of information. Those scammers could be described as beggar kings mafia. Based (probably) in Romania, they "employ" small army of people. Usually, quite near the same spot the scammer is operating is parked black minivan with some bigger fish boss waiting for the money (because they so much believe to each other). They are not so dangerous as organised crime usually is, but they are nonetheless organised crimminals, because this little scam is actually only one of many they are using. It actually may be that most of those petty crimes might very well be organised by the same group...
Seeing old belarusian rubles on 4:59 gave me some flashbacks
ALY with a Y business card.... Really...Aly from Dubai? Lol. Great videos, ty for your research, editing & sharing.
Keep on the fight! I will do everything I can to help!
When you said that ‘Viewer discretion is advised’ I thought that a violent fight broke out, what even was the viewer discretion warning for lol?
The sad part about the "blue file" scam is atleast around here there was a time that method of charity was legit. I had one who was so happy when I signed to him ("sorry no thanks") that he dropped everything to chat with me (in sign). Now I'm guessing cause of the copycat scammers the legit ones are no where to be found.
the way Janek is desctibing all those scams is so funny. film more!
A very annoying scam in the UK, especially in London, is that many restaurant apply a hidden "Discretionary Service Charge" of sometimes even 15% of the final bill, in order to be able to advertise lower prices on the menu. They often get angry when you rightfully ask to get it deducted, as it is discretionary. And it is further annoying the government is not doing anything at all to stop, ban and condemn this practice.
That's just the suggested tip though, not really a scam.
And it's not really hidden if it's plainly written on the bill, is it? As for the waiters getting angry, that's a bit unfriendly, but well it's London, not known for friendly strangers
@@nicfab1 it is a scam. They don‘t tell people and already charge you on the bill they bring.
0:38 Of course! Dubai, the capital of Romania😆
Am going to Dubai soon, where are the scammers area i should be aware of?
@@camtuhuynh4631 I don't think you got the joke😆
I guess not. I thought this forum focuses on global street scams (“global”… get it?) so why not in Dubai. Scammers usually choose wealthy cities to “work” so my question to the forum was not as stupid as you made it sound…
@@camtuhuynh4631 I meant that those portrayed at 0:38 are gypsies from Romania(country in Eastern Europe, nothing to do with UAE), pretending to be some rich sheikhs from Dubai. Now that was the joke. Sorry if you found my comment offensive.
@@Seba-ch3yq No, your sarcasm is. My question was legitimate since we are on this platform that only deals with global street scams. No need to turn to sarcasm- Not the place nor the time for that!
The fake deaf-mute scam is an old one and I'm sad to say that I got scammed by it more than 10 years ago in France during my only trip to Europe. These scammers were absolutely everywhere on train stations. =/
Sorry to hear that. Hope it didn't ruin your trip. I fell for the gas money one 4 years ago or so. These people only care about kindness if they can make money off of it.
@@InsoIence Hey man. It didn't ruin my trip at all and.. actually, at first, I didn't even knew I was getting scammed. Someone at the hostel told me about it later.
Anyways. It was an awesome trip. I was just surprised to realize it's something that's still happening. Thanks though. Have a nice week. =]
How to not get scammed
Rule 1: don’t trust anyone.
The End.
DTA
Tip: no business ever will say they are based or trading with "England". England is for domiciles and when people are in conversation. Tax and ID work are always registered in either Great Britain or the United Kingdom.
I have fallen for these scamers 12 years ago. I gave them 100 euro for fake gold. I wanted to help but I was just stupid.
Here in Lithuania 99% of ATMs are regular banks like Swedbank, Luminor, LKU, etc.
But 1%- of ATMs are Euronet. What's even worse that there is one in Vilnius Airport! An inatant touristy scam!
In America, we have the "white van speaker salesman" scam. I've been approached twice by these scammers in 2 different states!
That gas scam is in America too. I have seen it in Y.T. They usually hit up people at gas stations.
The cups and balls one is crazy, I was on holiday in london and on the bridge in front of the big ben, there were about 10 of them, one every few meters, all doing the same scam...
"Blue file"-scammers are the most common, though they're "legal" and go by the organizational names like "Red Cross, Unicef" and such. :^)
They are socially accepted like if i ask money for a service you don't want it's extortion but if the state does are taxes
For the "gold" of the first scam in this video we even have a word in Germany called "Autobahngold", since in the 50thies to the 70thies this scam was pretty common on pull-ins in northern Italy during holiday season.
1:11 lol we had exactly this type of scam when we entered Hungary this summer. But the man said he needed the money for his child.
#1 should be called just " the Stranded Scam."
I am a solo traveler and have been to prague in 2017, and I was just turned 21 so when these scammers see a solo traveler looking like kid I was the target 😂I was waiting on a train station and I was approached by a guy pretending to be tourist. He told me a really sob story. And he needed some money maybe around 200-300 euros to go back home,and he told me that he had been scammed by someone as there are many scammers in prague. He showed me his Id card and promised me that he would return the money when he reaches home. For a moment I actually had believed his bull story. But as I travel on a budget I couldn't give him anything and I just walked away. We chatted for 30-40 mins 😂 but after getting more mature in traveling now I know about few tourist traps and I save my self.
honest guide is doing really good job in exposing. I wish
There Should be atleast one dude like him in every country, exposing scam. As a traveller if someone ever gets scammed no matter how beautiful the place is and how good the people are, it doesn't leave a good image and a good memory in their life. It will be passed on to others as well. Same as one bad fruit can ruin the whole basket.
I recently followed this change you guys are Doing great
Keep it up
Hats off to all these people for not getting violent back. One of these scammers try me and they’ll see a wrath of violence my doctor told me I have a problem with.
I had to get 500€ for a deposit in Prague and used Euronet ATM. Having watched Janek I knew these "stole" some extra money. I couldn't decline conversion, it just spat out my card and cancelled the transaction.
Lmao, i'd just be like "well, go trade in your watch for some gas money man, if you're that desperate. Or, idk, do a little dance for me. Dance for the money boy!" Then throw a couple dollars on the ground, forcing them to pick it up.
You always making good videos brother
Wow, I just fell for that ATM scam in Canada the other day, and I lost 12% of withdrawal to the bad exchange rate. Thank you for the tips! Been binging your videos now to travel safer.
next time i go to prague, i'll carry around a blue file
I'm surprised there's no "air horn surprise for deaf scammers" video compilation.
I loved watching ball and cup games. It's very impressive. But I think most people know that it's a scam. They want to see it up close or they think they can outsmart the person. I think this is completely different to a currency conversion scam or the like. Anything you put up in a game of chance is not money that you put any value on.
The fake deaf-mute scam was common maybe 7-8 years ago in my town (Sweden).
Wow 2.2 million subscribers, I love you guys, hello from Chicago!
Good tips!
There was this dude who knew the balls and cup thingy, and he tried it, but he was a magician himself, and he slight of hand a ball under the cup he choose. XD had to pay him big time.
As a Muslim and proud European im very pissed off with these men with arabic names to scam in Europe. How dare they , if they did this in their own countries, they will be rightly
Punished properly, now if they really are named with islamic name i hope they be recognised in their own country and hope the authorities picks them up for scaming on European soil. So keeo exposeing them on videos, ur all doing an amazing job well done 👏✔️asalamualaykum god bless 🙌
Scammers unfortunately are the plague of every highly touristic places worldwide. This is why I now try to avoid all overly touristic places, or at least the peak touristic season. And always very cautious.
The one where a seeming affluent person properly dressed approaches you and asks for money for petrol, water, food or travel ticket is very common in every country in nearly every country on the earth.
To avoid skimming devices, I usually use ATMs which are in a busy areas or attached to a bank apart from checking for the add-on devices. The add-on skimming devices are usually attached via a double tape and tapping on them a little bit harder you can see if its something of an add-on.
pleas make a video about boat cruises and shooting ranges in and around prague :)
Just because he's a businessman doesn't mean he's not a scammer. And just because the bank does it doesn't mean it's not a scam.
A couple of years ago in Athens, I observed a scam that I thought was quite clever. A couple of girls were sitting in a touristy square with a cup in front of them with some coins in it. As tourists were walking by, the girls would pull a hidden string attached to the cup tipping it over as if the tourist had knocked it over accidentally. The coins would fall out and make noise, drawing the attention of the tourist, who would be guilt tripped into giving them some money.
Dodges a bullet when an ATM in Amsterdam suggested their own conversion. I declined since my bank charged no forgen fees and reimburses atm fees but probably not the additional charges
I encounterd the 'deaf-mute' blue file scammers for the first time in Zagreb a few weeks ago, and I was 90% sure it was a scam. Seeing this video has confirmed I was right!
It seemed that the first thing they do is encourage you to sign the paper to 'show your support for deaf-blind people' (I walked away at this point because I could sense it was a scam). But then the right-hand column of the paper had donation amounts written on it. So I imagine the final step after you sign to show your support is they then point to the 'dontation' row and you see that other people who have signed also donated. You might feel pressured to donate because others before you have. Clever, but ultimately immoral.
When i was 16 i was waiting for a friend and one of those scammers approched me and i was young so i believed it and signed but they were hiding the row with donations until i finished signing and then i realized its a scam and said i cant pay
Yep they hang around Zagreb and Rijeka all the time, esp in summer
Love your videos man
2:30 well that also got to the small city i live in and lost 10 euros to one of those, cause that was new at the time and honestly in a none main city scams like that badly happen
dude janek i was going to new york this one time and was got by this one scam. there was this dude who dressed up as a monk and slipped a bracelet onto my wrist as well as my mom and sister's wrists as we were entering central park. then he went off on his script about "give me $20 for peace" or whatever, and we kinda knew it was a scam but we didn't want to just tell him to fuck off. we probably should've had the balls, though.
that blue file scam is very similar to a "job" here in australia where people ask you for money to donate to a cause and most of the money goes into pockets of "staff" and very little actually goes to the cause
I have faced a scam in Bangalore, India where if you take an auto or tuktuk and pay cash of higher denomination value like ₹500, they will divert you and then will show and tell that you have given him a smaller denomination note like ₹100 and demand you the difference. This has come down now due to digital payments through QR code and UPI.
Cool video. I didn't know how much Czech Republic was mentioned in so many shows.
I cant believe people still fall for the cup and Ball scam 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
I encountered the deaf scam in Oxford, UK too