My 20 Euro Lesson on Scams

I have been pretty proud of myself while in Europe. I have spotted and avoided numerous scams. I have steered clear of dangerous situations, haven't been pick-pocketed or had anything stolen in a hostel. The problem with continued success is you eventually let your guard down. You think your self too lucky or invincible. As soon as you are confident you can't be scammed, you will be.

Here is my scam story. I am in Paris, walking along the beautiful river on my way to Notre Dame. I stop on a bridge to watch a group of people bet on the old "which cup is the ball in" game. It was slightly different though. There were 3 black coasters, one had a white mark on its bottom. I watched for awhile, people winning and losing and every guess of mine was correct. I told a few people which one to pick, they won 50 Euros and it was a good day. They tried to get me to play, but I only had 5 Euros on me and the minimum bet was 50. The guy next to, who I just won 50 Euros offered me his and said "just go to an ATM and pay me back if you lose." I ignore this and keep watching.

Now, the real trick I noticed is that when the person reaches for their wallet to bet, the guy switches the coasters real fast. You are certain it is the left, which it was, but that 1/2 second glance away he switches it to the middle. I have watched this and am ready. I am positive which one it is (the right) and take the 50 and bet. Boom, I am wrong. It was the middle. But I was so careful to keep my eyes on the coaster, what happened?!

Rule number 1 on getting scammed: If you are absolutely sure you will win, you are guaranteed to lose.

Scammers don't want 5 bucks, they want 50. They don't want you to be unsure, because if you bet unsure and lose you walk away. If you win you might walk away too. They want you to be 100% convinced you are right, because that is when you go all in. And when you lose, that is when you bet a second time to prove your self right, make your money back, etc.

So I lost and the guy next to me suggests we go get the money. My Spidey Sense has been tingling this entire time, but I am curious just how far the rabbit hole goes, so I go with it. We go find an ATM. He asks a few people where one is, but at the same time, he seems to know (Flag #1).

While walking we chat, he is from Pakistan visiting his uncle for 3 weeks in Paris, doesn't make a lot back home (economy) and wants to move to Europe where you make a lot more. (flag #2, he is better 50 euros and doesn't make a lot?) He is around the same age I am, mid-twenties.

Along the way a few people holler at him, which is strange if he is new to the area (flag #3 and the one that fully convinces me he is in on the scam).

When we get to the ATM he waits across the street for my privacy (flag #4 - he seems to know what he is doing and not wanting to be seen).

So we start walking back to the bridge, he makes a phone call that no one picks up (flag #5, warning his conspirators). I don't give him the money. I say I will give it to him when we get back to the game (playing my cards now). When we get somewhat close he stops and says "oh no, cops at the bridge, we shouldn't go over there, you can just pay me here."

Now it is my turn. He has fully revealed he is in on the scam, there is no question in my mind anymore. I say, "oh man, I don't see any cops, but even if there are did we do anything illegal, right? Lets keep walking and see what is up, there shouldn't be a problem." He says something about not having his papers and not wanting to risk it. I said that is fine, but I am going to the bridge and they is where he will get paid.

We start walking again, about half way there from where we first stopped, he stops me again and says "see them!" At this point he starts getting very close to my body and behind me. Not in a threatening way, but it is a pick-pocketing move. He is trying to get at my wallet. Too bad for him I am aware of how pick-pocketers work and I box him out, not letting him get in position, eventually pinning my wallet against a wall. He gives up after a few seconds and backs off. He keeps claiming there are police, I say where, he points at normal people. There are no police.

This is where I turn it. I say, "Listen, I know this is a scam, I knew it was a scam when we started walking to the ATM (list off reasons). You are in on the scam with the other people playing. You win and lose, duping people to play, distract them while they switch and then go to the ATM with them to collect the money they owe you. Very crafty, nice try." He tries to deny it, but he loses his poker face. I called him on the scam to the T and he knows it, he can't hide that he is partly afraid I will go to the cops, partly impressed that I nailed it. He says, "fine, no money." Then he says, "Twenty, just twenty." This only proves more that it is a scam. Why would anyone settle for part of the money I "owed" them.

I give him 20 Euros anyway. You may be thinking, "WHAT?! Why? you had him, you didn't have to give him a dime, why give 20 Euros to a scammer?" Because, I needed to learn my lesson. In order to learn a lesson like this, I need a negative consequence, a.k.a. losing money. I called it my 20 Euro lesson. I handed him the 20 and said, "Good scam, I am not giving you this because I owe you any money, I am doing it to teach my self a lesson. I have to lose to learn." He grins, confused but satisfied, possibly a little pity and I walk back to the bridge.

The people playing are all gone, as I thought. I decide to head back and see if I can't find the guy. I find him, talking to another guy who I think was at the game. I say they are gone, compliment him on the scam and let him know he is the first person to get me while in Europe. He continues to deny it, but eventually breaks. He finally says, "This is how I make my living, this is my job." I laugh, he laughs and we rid our selves of the barrier that was the lie.

I start to ask him more about the scam. He explains how they work together, how they switch the coasters, etc. He gives me all the details and it is pretty interesting to learn about. He looks at the guy next to him, says something in another language, the guy looks confused and concerned and then reaches into his pants (not his pockets, his pants) and pulls out three coasters. The guy takes them and shows me how they move them so quickly and stealthily. I feel pretty honored at this point. The other scammer obviously thought he was crazy for showing this all to me.

The guy says, "I like you, you are quick, no one ever calls me out on it." He tells me never to play any street games, they are all scams. I ask him about some other scams in Paris.

He tells me about a few different ones to look out for. The most annoying is these girls who ask for your signature for the handicap. I have already been assaulted by at least a dozen of these people. They are everywhere. After you sign, the bother you for a Euro or two. They often won't let you pass. One refused to let me pass. It was literally about 30 seconds of me trying to side-step her. I finally looked at her and told her to "move now" in a very unpleasant voice and she bitterly walked away. The scam is they don't work for anyone, they just take your euro for themselves (big surprise). I have a policy of not signing anything. I only sign things I have fully researched and am 100% certain the paper I am signing is officially part of that organization, but I digress.

I keep chatting with him and his friend for a little bit. At the end he says, "here you can have your 20 Euro's back." That is right, the scammer offered me my money back. I never asked, he offered. That showed me he wasn't kidding when he said he was impressed. I told him, "No thanks, I was serious when I said I need to lose to learn my less. 20 Euros is the price I paid to teach me never to play games like that again."

You might wonder why I need to lose to learn my lesson. Can't I just learn it from the experience and be smarter? No, do you remember in the start of this post about how we become confident and think we are too smart for scammers or invincible? That is why. Even after it all if I walked away unscathed I would still have the feeling of invincibility. I would think even if I get scammed, I can talk my way out of it (probably true). I need a scar to look at every time and think, "nope, you don't walk away unscathed." If I would have gotten my money back, I would have been winning, not losing and losing teaches us not to do it again.

A waste for 20 Euros to you is a great blog post for me. Plus I felt the guy got me pretty good, he earned some of that money. I am not a easy person to scam, though it is possible.