When we were in the Pompidou area this past week and my husband was approached by a young college aged girl that appeared very confident and dressed in jeans and a nice blouse. She was trying to get him to sign something. Thankfully he said no and did not give her the time. She walked off with complete confidence (like a happy spring to her step) and just kept on walking and did not stop. My husband watched her for a while to see if she was with anyone else or even if she was going to approach another tourist. He also encountered guys approaching him with news papers that were in bad condition asking what language we spoke. We told him nothing and kept an eye on our child who was heading towards a carousel. We did run into the friendship bracelet guys at Sacre Coeur but not the ring scam.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
A lot is about distraction; if your hands are busy holding a clipboard and a pen then someone elses hands can explore your jacket, pack, etc. You might not have been the target; these people need to hang out in a public place and approach lots of people so they become part of the scenery and the people milling about aren't paying a lot of attention to them.
Posted by
Freedonia
15069 posts
The "petition signers" get you to sign and then ask for a contribution. They're phony.
Posted by
SF Bay Area, CA
2030 posts
I encountered the petition girl very much like you described in La Defense last week. Told her I didn't speak French, but she had a version in English also -- but I just walked away. Not going to sign a petition in another country. And -- I also encountered the gold ring scam in the Palais Royale -- a banner week for me scam-wise!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
It's not an uncommon ploy. I've seen the same thing in Rome, etc.
Posted by
Austin
973 posts
Near the Eiffel Tower a kerchiefed teenage girl approached us with the "what language do you speak" then handed an index sized card about being a survivor of Bosnia; her father was killed in the fighitng and her mother had 6 children to support and any money would help. I kept walking and said 'sorry, no' but my teenage son gave her a Euro. Later by the taxi stand we spotted her counting the scads of coins and getting into a taxi! It was what we called a teaching moment. Had the ring scam attempted twice, but thanks to you guys knew what to do.