Fool Me Once Shame on You! Fool Me Twice Shame On Me!

     Traveling abroad can be a fun and rewarding experience.  You get the opportunity to see amazing places, have many memorable experiences, and meet interesting people.  Regretfully, some of those people are very interested in obtaining some of our money.  There are many con artists, swindlers, and thiefs abound, who have made it a career out of parting tourists away from their money and other valuables.  Here are just a few of the prevalent scams that you should try and avoid.

     One major scam that I have herd about involves a person that approaches you, usually wearing a uniform, and notifies you that a counterfeit ring has been passing off fake money all over town, and would like to see your money.  When you show them your bills, they will "examine them" and find a few fakes that they must confiscate.  First of all, never show your money to strangers!  By doing this, you are just asking for trouble.  Also, if a police officer ever approaches you for any reason, ask for their credentials.  The best thing to do in this situation is to just walk away.  If the con artist persists than scream at the top of your lungs for a police officer.  This will typically scare off the would be cop.

     Last time I was in Paris, I witnessed the friendship bracelet scam.  You are typically walking along in a touristy area like Sacre-Coeur and a stranger approaches you.  He wants to show you his "Traditional African Bracelets" or "Friendship Bracelets".  The guy will place the bracelet on your wrist and ties it on very tight.  So tight in fact that you cannot remove it from your wrist to give it back to him.  Thus, you have to pay him a dollar or two for this cheaply made bracelet that you did not even want.

     Lastly, a lady approaches you and asks if you just lost a ring.  She happened to find one lying on the ground.  You say that you have not, so she offers to sell it to you at a bargain price.  You pay her for the ring thinking that you just got a very good deal, until you discover that the ring is just an inexpensive piece of costume jewelry.  Thus, you just payed way too much for a cheap trinket that you had no intention in getting.

      The moral of the story is to be mindful of your surroundings and watch out for con artists.  They come in all shapes and sizes, and have one mission, to part you from your money and valuables.