Question 1

What is the "Charity Petition Pickpocket" scam in Prague?

Accepted Answer

Groups of individuals — often young women working in teams — approach tourists at Charles Bridge (Karlův most), Old Town Square, and outside the main train station (Praha hlavní nádraží) with clipboards or tablets claiming to represent charities helping deaf children or homeless families. While the tourist is engaged in signing, one team member stands close behind to pick pockets or open bags. Czech police confirmed in 2025 that organised charity petition collecting in Prague's tourist zones is banned and any such approach should be treated as a pickpocket operation. Do not stop to sign petitions or engage with charity clipboard collectors in tourist areas. Keep your bag zipped and in front of you. If approached, decline firmly and keep walking without looking at the clipboard. If in doubt, note that legitimate charities in the Czech Republic do not solicit signatures from tourists on busy streets.

Question 2

What is the "Broken Item Demand Scam" scam in Prague?

Accepted Answer

Scammers in pedestrian areas near Old Town Square and Charles Bridge deliberately position themselves in tourist foot-traffic zones and stage a collision with a passing tourist, dropping a fragile-looking item — a "valuable" glass figurine, crystal ornament, or inexpensive souvenir — that they claim shatters on impact. The scammer becomes immediately aggressive and insists the tourist pay cash compensation of 500–2,000 CZK for the destroyed item. The item is typically mass-produced and cheap but displayed as if precious, and the scammer may produce a fake receipt for hundreds of euros. Keep walking and do not engage. In the event of a genuine accident, exchange details calmly and offer to contact police — a scammer will rarely agree to involve authorities. Never pay cash on the spot to someone who accosts you after a bump, however minor. The police non-emergency line in the Czech Republic is 158.

Other Tourist Scams in Prague

Charity Petition Pickpocket

Broken Item Demand Scam

Experienced a scam here?