European city slammed as ‘full of people scamming tourists’

No matter where in the world you go, tourists can be the target of scams which could see them overpaying for things or even out of pocket. However, holidaymakers have slammed one European city as being one of the “worst” destinations for tourist traps and scams. Sharing their experience to a Reddit forum, holidaymakers shared their experiences of tourist-targeting “scams” in the French city of Paris.

The French capital is one of the most visited cities in the world for its stunning architecture, rich history and impressive cuisine, but where there are crowds of tourists, opportunists are soon to follow.

An anonymous Reddit poster wrote: “Paris is full to the gills with people hassling and scamming tourists. Far worse than anywhere else I’ve travelled.”

Tourist scams can take many forms, whether it’s charging more money for dinner or even pickpocketing, however, one tourist shared an experience while using the city’s Metro system.

They wrote: “Paris was the worst incident while trying to buy tickets for the Metro from a machine in the underground.

“A guy was very insistent that we buy our tickets from him and not the machine. With no one around at the moment he was quite aggressive.

“It was just myself and my daughter. Once I had inserted my card into the machine he pretty much backed off as he wasn’t going to scam us. I can see how someone might fall for it or be intimidated enough to just give in.” [SIC]

Speaking previously to Express.co.uk, Sam Willan, global vice president of marketing for StudentUniverse named Paris as one key destination where holidaymakers should be “extra cautious”.

He said: “While theft can happen anywhere in the world, there are some places you need to be more wary than others.

“Larger cities that are tourist hotspots tend to be popular pickpocket locations – think Barcelona, Paris and Rome.”

According to a recent study, Paris was also named among the top 10 worst cities for pickpocketing in Europe.

Quotezone.co.uk analysed Tripadvisor reviews to find which of Europe’s top attractions are most likely to be targeted by pickpockets and found several Parisian hotspots among them.

In France, the Eiffel Tower was dubbed the worst spot for pickpockets. This is perhaps due to the fact that many tourists mingle around the monument to take photos.

While it’s safe to be there it’s important to remain on guard.