head back to the bus and just at that moment, a
stranger pretends to trip in your direction and
spills his coffee all over you. You are shocked,
upset at the dark liquid on your clean clothes
and you are definitely not paying attention to
the digital camera on the table or your jacket
(containing your wallet), draped over your chair.
The stranger is extremely apologetic and offers
to get napkins to clean up your outfit. In the
meantime, scam artist #2 has already
disappeared with your camera and jacket. And
as soon as soon as you discover this, the
stranger has disappeared into the crowd too.
Other forms of this scam include tripping and
dumping the contents of a hotdog (mustard,
relish, ketchup) on the victim. And then there is
the ‘baby-bundle’ routine. In this scenario a
woman has a bundle of rags that resemble a
baby. She cradles the rags, rocks them and
makes cooing sounds to convince everyone
that there is a real baby in her arms. Then at
the appropriate moment, for example, when a
street car or a subway or a bus approaches, or
even when the crowd is ogling at Niagara Falls,
she drops the ‘baby’ over the falls or in front of
the oncoming vehicle. Everyone is shocked
beyond belief at what they just saw and while in
their state of distractedness, scam artist #2
goes to work picking pockets, stealing wallets
and even grabbing some laptops that may be
abandoned for only a few seconds.
But aside from distractions, travel scams can
include simple but ingenious methods. There is
trick that takes place on a bus, usually in a
Third World country. The victim-to-be is holding
their bag or backpack on their lap when the
friendly stranger in the next seat suggests that
the victim place the bag under the seat in order
to be more comfortable. The stranger reassures
the traveller by engaging them in a
conversation. The victim feels at ease and
finally decides to put their bag under the seat.
Little do they know that the barefoot person in
the seat behind has immediately begun to use
their very dextrous toes to undo the clasps on
the bag and is now removing some of the
contents (clothing, shoes, passport, wallet etc).
By the time the traveller gets off the bus, the
bag is closed again and nothing is suspected.
Then there is the lucky bracelet scenario. You
are taking photos of the grand churches in an
historic public square in South America
(or temples in Asia) when a cheery looking child
comes up to you and asks if you would like a
‘good luck’ bracelet at no charge. The bracelet
is really just a colourful piece of wool string. As
there is no charge and you want to bring back a
story of a nice experience, you agree. The child
says s/he will give you one around each wrist
for double the luck, and gives you a pair of
scissors to hold (so you don’t question why both
of your wrists are being tied together). After the
string is tied the child grabs the scissors—along
with your wallet or camera—and runs off into
the crowd. You are left standing there, foolishly,
and bewildered, with both wrists tied together.
And remember those comical scenes from the
movies where the photographer keeps asking
the subject to move back in order to fit into the
camera frame and eventually the subject falls
off a cliff or into a fountain? Well,
this happens in real life, but
the photographer is usually a
scam artist. The typical
scenario is that you are at a
tourist
attraction
when
someone asks you to take
their
photo.
Then
the
stranger suggests that s/he
reciprocate by taking your
photo. A trust scenario has
been developed because you
have already held the stranger’s
camera, so you agree. The stranger asks you to
back up—sometimes in the direction of a low
archway or doorway (where you will hit your
head) or into the fountain, or down a small hill.
As soon as you are off balance or hurt or a
reasonable distance away, the stranger
disappears with your camera (and sometimes
enough information on your photos to visit your
hotel room while you are touring the area).
The ‘trust’ scenario is also very effective in
airports where people generally feel safe. A
stranger asks you to watch their luggage while
they run to the washroom. When the person
returns, s/he offers to watch your bags if you
would also like to visit the washroom. With the
trust scenario in place, you agree. The second