Paris Street Scams Near the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre

Groups of people, often young women, approach tourists near major landmarks with clipboards asking you to sign a petition for a charitable cause. While you read the petition, others reach into your bag or distract you. The petition is fake. Do not stop, do not make eye contact, keep walking.

Someone "finds" a gold ring on the ground near you and offers it as a gift, then asks for money for food. The ring is worthless brass. This operates near the Pont des Arts bridge and along the Seine. Simply keep walking.

Men near the steps of Sacré-Cœur tie a bracelet on your wrist before you can pull away, then demand payment. They become persistent and sometimes block your exit. Keeping your hands in your pockets near Montmartre neutralizes this.

Shell game operators set up near tourist areas with small folding tables. The game is fixed — participants are shills. Onlookers who bet always lose.

Lines 1 and 4 (connecting major tourist sites) and the RER B (Charles de Gaulle airport to central Paris) have elevated pickpocket risk. Keep bags in front and zipped on crowded carriages.

• Walk with purpose past anyone who approaches you near major landmarks
• Keep your phone in a front pocket and bags zipped and worn in front
• On the Metro, be alert when doors are about to close — a common moment for bag snatches
• Ignore anyone who drops something near you or who tries to put something in your hands