Paris Scams

Paris is such a lovely city, but like all large cities there are downsides to Paris as well (I know, shocking right?!).  One of these downsides are the scams.  There are 3 main scams you should know about while traveling in Paris.

The Ring Scam
A woman walks towards you and will "pick up" a gold ring that she finds on the side of the road.  She will ask you if you have dropped it on the ground/if it is yours.  When you say "no", she will insist on giving you the ring and walk away.  Seconds later, she will reappear and ask for some money as she is "hungry".  You may consider giving her some money...afterall, she just gave you a gold ring!  However, keep in mind...if this ring were real gold, wouldn't it be worth her while to bring it to a pawn shop instead of accepting a couple of euros from you?  The best thing to do is just wave these people off.  The ring is a fake and is just a cheap way to scam a few euros from tourists.

The Deaf and Mute Scam (Sourds et Mutes)
The people who perform this scam are usually young girls of Indian/Pakistani descent and can be found near the Louvre or the Pont Neuf.  They will wave at you and ask you to sign a piece of paper they have in their hand.  If you sign it, they will point to the top where it says that those who sign are required to provide a minimum donation of 10€ (or something similar).  If you do fall into this scam and have signed your name, you are not required to do anything...just walk away.  However, I have also heard that this is how they distract tourists while they pick their pockets.  Be careful!

Anyways, I've heard them talking to one another.  They are not deaf, nor mute.  Try to avoid them if you can...I've seen them get somewhat violent when people refuse to sign.

The String Scam
Men around the Eiffel Tower and Sacré Coeur will ask for your finger.  If you give them your finger, they will tie and piece of string around it and will not take the string off until you give them money.

Now you know!

xo Ceilidh