Another Scam - Fake policemen steal from tourists

i think i'd be a little suspicious if i was approached by austrian police that wore badges saying "Police officer" in english!

Dax.....thanks for that heads up. I am very curious as to the age and sex of the victims, often the triggers to be selected by street criminals. I was already aware of this practice happening, but it seems fairly uncommon, as you say. Not to sound cocky or arrogant here, but I'm told I'm not that approachable as it is here on my own home ground, but I know things can have a way of coming at you unexpectedly on multiple levels and angles. I know very well I'm more likely to get ripped off in Europe by a merchant than an attempted street heist.

Exactly Matthew,, honestly, do people ever use common sense.

I doubt very much that the badges actually said "Police Officer" in English, although it would be funny if they did.

More likely they said something like "Polizei". The Austrian Times translates news articles from German into English, sometimes quite literally.

Watch out for Austrian Frauleins posing as nurses!

or austrian body builders posing as governors! zing!

Or Texans posing as presidents.

what do you have against eisenhower? :)

I love you all!

A very similar scam happened to a family friend at the train station in Geneva. He also was approached by "police officers" and asked for ID. He is a seasoned traveller and was just stunned when it happened to him. And yes, he lost his wallet without noticing it right away ...

I have to say this is a pretty good scam. People who would normally give a get-out-of-here wave and disgusted look at a gypsy woman holding a gold ring would not dare do that to a policeman.

Has anyone heard of a case where the theives were wearing what appeared to be official police uniforms? After reading about these methods they use in numerous cases in different countries the common denominator seems to be these are all "plainclothes"...I wonder how they'd react if a party of 3 tourists suddenly pulled out whistles and started blowing on them.

These "fake" officers are never in uniform. That is a serious offense.

If you're approached by "police officers" in plain clothes you have the following choices:

1) Comply.

2) Tell them you want to talk to an officer in uniform.

3) Tell them to F-off.

If they are real, they'll understand #2. If fake, they'll leave.

As for #3, if they are fake, just walk away and they will do nothing. If they are real, you'll have some explaining to do.

I would choose #2 or #3. Probably #3.

Now, in Italy, it is possible that you will be stopped by the "tax" police and they may ask to see a restaurant receipt. But not your wallet.

This is all covered in the scams section of the Grafitti Wall. Everyone should be reading this before leaving.

Frank, I'm with you...if I make a misidentification, oh well, answer questions later.

James - I had a similar story happen to me in Italy. My ticket wasn't validated properly and I refused to pay the fine. Eventually the officer gave up because he wasn't going to bother taking me "downtown." I'm sure too in your case the officers decided not to bother with a tourist. But yes - such scams as described in the opening post are real. Other than on trains and busses, no plain clothes officer should be asking you for ID randomly.

I've never encountered the plain-clothes Police Officers anywhere in Europe, but this Thread is a good reminder of what to watch for. I have been approached by uniformed Officers on trains in various countries, and asked to present my ticket or Passport. A lot of the time they seem to check passengers at random also, perhaps based on appearance? Given that they're always packing a sidearm, there's no doubt that they're "real"!

i've seen plainclothes cops dressed like punk rockers in the metro pull people aside and talk to them.