Beware! Paris train station rip-off

Welcome To Europe! And in particular...Welcome To Paris! This is a well-known scam, but unfortunately you hadn't heard of it. I'm also guessing that your credit card isn't chip-and-PIN? If so, they won't work in many kiosks, like the Paris metro and train stations. Be prepared with cash. I'm so sorry your trip to Paris got off to a bad start, but it was a relatively small amount...And You're In Paris!!! Thanks for reminding everyone about this scam - you've probably saved someone the same trouble :-( Have a great trip!

I imagine he was well dressed. He's making good money!

Yup,, old and well known scam... surprised you thought that you could tell a scammer by the way they were dressed,,its not good to think that bad guys look bad and good guys look good..

Joanne, Sorry to hear that you were victimized in Paris. The creativity of the scammers never fails to surprise me, but I always tend to operate on the principle that "if it seems to good to be true....." I'm surprised that your card didn't work, as it's very likely you were using a "Chip & PIN" card. I've had that happen in Paris on occasion, and have found that if I switch to another machine, it works right away. The scammers have been known to "modify" ticket machines so that may be one reason it didn't work. I've found at Roma Termini, that a number of machines have "Out of Order" signs on them, which has the effect of "funneling" passengers to the machines where the "helpful" scammer is operating. I'm sure you'll use different methods on your next trip. Cheers!

Ken, you are exactly right, we have had no problem with the card anywhere but this particular machine was "not working" so the "helpful" young man used his non credit card special for Paris transit. I know it was only 30 euros but it is the principle of the thing- verey mean to appear nice and be the opposite, I'd almost rather be pickpocketed. Just goes to prove that you cannot trust anyone while travelling- a sad stae of affairs.

I have heard that there are some people in Ottawa who "appear nice and are the opposite" but they are mostly members of the government.

Please keep politics off of this site.......don't spoil a good thing.

Easy Susan, I think the point she is making is that the dress has little who is or can be helpful. Don't think that is very political. This is one of those areas where a little advance research would have been helpful since this subject frequently discussed here and on other travel sites. There are lots of helpful strangers that will treat you very nicely but when it comes to money be careful.

Frank, This is our third trip to Europe and to Paris. I have done research and we have never had any problems as we are usually quite vigilant. My point was that at any time if your guard is down or you are not expecting a trap, you can be taken advantage of. I had hoped to alert others as I had not read about this particular scam before.

Joanne - did you post this scam on the Tourist Scam Alert section of the Graffiti Wall on this site? This would be very helpful to others. I'm going to Paris for a week in September and was glad to read this - thanks for posting it! We'd all like to think we can spot con artists. Through travel in the U.S., I've learned to be suspicious of people who seem to be in the right place at the right time and are VERY eager to help. In San Francisco I was trying to figure out the ticket machines in a BART station, to buy a ticket to get to the airport. This homeless guy came up and got me the ticket I wanted in 30 seconds. I knew he was helping me because he wanted money. That really made me pay attention to "helpful" people who hang out around mass transit areas where there are a lot of tourists. I was in Paris 5 years ago and I was standing in line in Gare du Nord when a German-accented man in a suit came up to me. He asked to borrow 3 euros to make an emergency phone call. I was having a bad day and felt sorry for him, so I gave him 3 euros. Then an American guy in front of me turned around and said he just remembered seeing that guy in the train station yesterday, telling people the same thing. It was only 3 euros but I felt like an idiot.

" Just goes to prove that you cannot trust anyone while travelling." I don't agree with this statement as there are lots of locals and others who have been helpful to me on trips. Maybe you should say "Just goes to prove that you cannot trust everyone while travelling." I'm sorry this happened to you, Joanne, and hope the rest of your trip has been wonderful.

Thanks for the heads up, Joanne. One thing I have found, because my French is weak and Gare du Nord can be busy, is to buy the carnet at St. Pancras or you can even buy them on the Eurostar in the dining car. They may cost a little bit more but it is nice to get off the train and just head out of the station.

We were also at Gare du Nord in Feb. taking the train and before we got there we read about how to do this so we had no issues. Some of the machines were busy so we went right up to the booth (manned by humans) and bought our tickets. Not sure why you did not see it but we never had to ask anyone for assistance. When we did get tickets we used euros since we had gotten them in advance of our trip; we did not bring any dollars with us nor did we use any credit cards except at some restaurants. We also knew about the chip and PIN cards but chose to avoid the whole thing. Getting a money pouch to wear around our waists was the best investment we made, thanks for Rick's website!

I lived in Metro NY and learned to be suspicious but not every helpful person is a scammer. Last month in Paris, we had RER tickets which allow transfers to the Metro. I had already gone through and my son was having trouble with his ticket, which had gotten folded. A young man went through the turnstyle, saw we were having trouble and swiped his card so my son could enter. We were very grateful for his act of kindness. It also taught my son to pay it forward to others. Here was a total stranger who was willing to help him. And no, we didn't get pickpocketed.

Thank you Joanne. I've lived in Paris on and off for nearly forty years and was unaware of this ruse. I hope the kindness of others can balance out this thievery.