This may be well known, however i thought it would be informative to highlight this!
There are many male conmen in Paris using the same method-
They will give a member of your party an item, you will feel amazed at their generousity, HOWEVER- they then approach a different member of the party and expect them to pay and refuse to accept the item back!!!
EGs- i was approached by two coloured nigerian males in the dodgy area of Montematre. they were charming and made me and my boyfriend lucky braided bracelets, they then distracted me, while asking my worried boyfriend for $70!! (about £50!).
I was approached by a young male who gave me a rose under the eiffel tower, he then secretly asked my boyfriend for the $7 (only about £5) BUT STILL SCAMS. I overheard, and so refused the rose (which he wouldn%26#39;t accept back, as he had made a %26#39;sale%26#39;) so i gave it him and walked off.
BE CAREFUL!
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No stranger will every give you something for nothing. When you are approached, it is not your lucky day and you are not getting something for free. It%26#39;s not a scam, it%26#39;s just very pushy tactics. Just walk away. If you look open to them, they will definitely approach. If you accept their wares, they will definitely want money.
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%26quot; They will give a member of your party an item, you will feel amazed at their generousity, %26quot;
I think this may be the problem...as much as we%26#39;d all like to believe in our fellow man...is anyone really going to come up to you and give you free things on the street? Anywhere?
Rather than being amazed at their generosity, I would definitely have my radar up if anyone approached me in a foreign city with any kind of %26quot;gift%26quot;.
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Yeh don%26#39;t get me wrong, it was VERY naive of me!! however, i wouldn%26#39;t of minded paying for the bracelet at all, it was really nice. But they scared us by how much they were asking for!! We felt very threatened! :( we dreaded the consquences if we didn%26#39;t hand over the money... x
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Just keep in mind, they are there illegally....mention %26quot;la police%26quot; and they will go find someone else to sell to.
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There%26#39;s a very similar scam I%26#39;ve had tried on my on several different trips. A young woman will approach (always speaking English, so clear targeting tourists) claiming that she %26quot;found%26quot; a %26quot;gold%26quot; ring and can%26#39;t keep it because of her religion. She obviously wants money for it, although I%26#39;ve never listened to the whole scam. She approached me twice in as many days, so the second day I expressed (loudly) my amazement that she was so lucky as to find a SECOND ring so soon -- she took off, of course.
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Okay...the first time one of these scam artists approaches a stranger on the street and lays hands on an unsuspecting %26#39;..mark..%26#39; or %26#39;..forces..%26#39; someting onto them that may be being %26#39;..conned..%26#39; or %26#39;..scammed..%26#39; But the second time it happens to the same person......well, the %26#39;..conned..%26#39; begins to take on a decided shade of %26#39;..stupid..%26#39;. One of the invariable and most oft repeated bits of parental advice, common the world over, is %26#39;..don%26#39;t take treats from strangers..%26#39;.
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This type of thing happens all over the place. Similar people have approached me in Avignon, Ste. Marie de la Mer, Nice, etc.
If anyone you do not know approaches you, move on. Any genuine greeting / question will be obvious. These people stand out, literally.
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