Other Tourist Scams in New Orleans

Counterfeit Souvenir and Art Scam in the Quarter

Street vendors and pop-up stalls in the French Quarter sell counterfeit items — including fake Mardi Gras beads made with lead-painted plastic, mass-produced "local art" falsely attributed to New Orleans artists, and imitation jazz memorabilia — at prices suggesting authenticity. Some vendors near Jackson Square claim their prints are originals by local artists when they are cheap reproductions imported in bulk.