Abby Connolly
The next scam Amanda mentions has to do with “clipboard petitioners.” She says they typically are seen around the Eiffel Tower but also hang around the Louvre art museum.
The clipboard scammers will try to persuade you to come up to them and fill out a fake petition or form to help different kinds of French charities. One of the most common fake foundations they pretend to work for is one for deaf children.
“Spoiler alert, the foundation is not real,” says Amanda. “It does not exist.”
You not only give these scammers your information by filling out the fake petition but also, while you’re signing it, other people involved in the scam will try to pickpocket you.
Another scam Amanda mentions is common in cities worldwide – pedicabs! Beware of men on bikes with little cabs attached that try their best to get you to take a ride with them.
They will show you a poster or piece of paper with what looks like set prices for their services.
However, once you get to your destination, they’ll reveal what was covered up on that price poster, which is that their prices are set per person.
So if you and two friends thought you were taking a pedicab ride to the Eiffel tour for €20, you’re actually paying €20 per person and spending €60 total.
Amanda notes that the pedicab drivers will get extremely aggressive if you don’t try to give them the full price they want. So while getting around in Paris, stick with real cabs, Ubers, and walking during the day.
There’s also a “dropped jewelry” scam to look out for in Paris. A scammer will stop you on the sidewalk and say that you dropped a nice-looking piece of jewelry they’ll have in their hands.
Even if you tell them it’s not yours, they’ll tell you to “keep it” and force it onto you. Once they do that, they’ll demand that you give them money in return.
