Browse 9 verified travel scam reports from Paris, France, submitted by real travelers. Know the local scams before you visit.
🗓️ Scam date: 23 August 2025
📝 Reported: 21 September 2026
I googled "Airbnb support" to change a booking and called the top result — a fake number. The "agent" asked for a €150 "verification fee" to confirm my identity. Airbnb never charges for support. Find the number inside the app only.
🗓️ Scam date: 5 October 2025
📝 Reported: 13 September 2026
On line 1 near the Louvre, a girl shoved a clipboard with a fake petition in my face while another unzipped my backpack. I caught them because the train doors opened and I stepped away. Keep bags in front on the metro.
🗓️ Scam date: 14 September 2025
📝 Reported: 6 September 2026
A sketch artist at Place du Tertre grabbed my shoulder, drew for five minutes, and handed me a caricature. "€45, it's already done." The signs say €15. Never let anyone start drawing or painting without agreeing on a price.
🗓️ Scam date: 11 April 2025
📝 Reported: 30 August 2026
On the steps of Sacré-Cœur, a man grabbed my wrist and started tying a string bracelet. It took €10 to make him stop and two others appeared. The "friendship bracelet" team works the whole hill. Keep your hands in your pockets.
🗓️ Scam date: 7 May 2026
📝 Reported: 27 August 2026
A man in a suit with a "TAXI" sign approached us inside Terminal 2 and led us to an unmarked car. He charged €120 for a ride the official stand does for €55, and took a detour "to avoid traffic". Only take cabs from the official rank outside.
🗓️ Scam date: 21 June 2025
📝 Reported: 21 August 2026
A man "found" a gold ring on the ground near Trocadéro and asked if it was mine. It wasn't, so he "gifted" it to me — then asked for money "for the finder's reward". The ring is brass, worth nothing. The trick: refuse it and walk.
🗓️ Scam date: 26 February 2026
📝 Reported: 21 August 2026
I bought "skip the line" Eiffel Tower tickets from a site that looked official. Paid €58 per person; the official site charges €29. The tickets were real but double-priced. Only buy from toureiffel.paris.
🗓️ Scam date: 8 July 2025
📝 Reported: 15 August 2026
The café near Notre-Dame gave tourists a "special menu" where the same plat du jour was double the price on the French menu. We noticed because the couple next to us paid half. Ask for the standard menu — in French.
🗓️ Scam date: 2 December 2025
📝 Reported: 15 August 2026
The "host" messaged that a €400 security deposit must be paid by bank transfer before check-in, "house rules". The listing disappeared two days before our trip. Airbnb hosts can't demand off-platform deposits — report and cancel.