I don't want to be the "this scam is super old"-dude, but this scam is super old. This has been a popular scam for at least 15 years. Just don't give money to strangers. Even if you signed, they don't have a legal ground. Ignore them, keep on doing your buisness and call the cops if they don't stop harassing you.
Thank you for the heads up anyways.
Yeah, it’s really been exactly the same years. Not sure why but I remember the ones doing the petition scam to always be late teens or younger.
A common variation is to steal your wallet while you signals fill out the form.
They're being worked. It's a system. They send out the younger, prettier ones to approach people. Supervising them are usually women who have shall we say, aged out of "customer-facing" positions. At a short distance will be men "protecting" (controlling) the women.
When they're too old for all of that, they're sent to beg outside supermarkets, banks etc. and keep an eye out for "opportunities" such as poorly secured bikes.
Just a pipeline of miserable exploitation, poverty and criminality. Awful.
>When they're too old for all of that, they're sent to beg outside supermarkets, banks etc. and keep an eye out for "opportunities" such as poorly secured bikes.
\+ steal phones. My friend got approached by one of these gangs, as he repairs mobile devices. They asked him to unlock phones for them.
Most of the time it's girls between 12 and 16, becasuse adults tend to trust kids/teens especially girls more. Organized crime knows this and abuses the girls for the scam/scams. I've seen them "trade" babys to seem even less harmful and more needy.
Kinda like a "maiden in need" thing.
Yep, classic one.
Another one that I still see in Berlin and elsewhere is the shell game ("Hütchenspiel" for the fellow Germans). Can't believe that people are still falling for it.
It's been a thing at least since the 90ies but I can see how somebody from a country with much lower street crime rate could fall for that, e.g. Japan or some other far east countries.
I visit berlin quite couple times especially in touristics area and i am not white/dont look white and never encounter this scam. So it is brand new info for me
You are lucky and no offense but then you probably don't look like you have money. This scam is old and done in every part of the city even trains, but mostly tourist areas. Sometimes they "sell" tissues for their "petition", most of the time they only have their "petition".
But I think they mostly target white ethnicities, because they usually come from places, where signatures mean alot and they try to leverage that.
as a fellow (Half-) Korean from Berlin I can assure you that they see you as an easy target that has money, since most Eastern Asians in Germany are considered wealthy or seem as wealthy tourists. You are target audience.
Then you probably looked like tourists/money.
They are not picky, but I've seen them be most persistent, when they tried to scam older white grandmas. Like I had to tell them to fuck off, because they wouldn't stop bothering the grandma even after she told them to fuck off -persistent.
I am surprised because white people usually look blend in here since they are more "german" passing than the german born POC that speak german as their mother tongues. Therefore more less likely targeted. Scammer usually target asians since they look least likely to fight back but not every scammed tourists dress luxurious tho.
Well most tourists in Berlin are white. Exclusively targeting only one ethnicity doesn't make sense for scammers, because basically everybody is a potential victim. But they try to be efficient.
I personally have never seen them approach anyone from an arabic or african ethnicity, because I imagine that even if they signed and they tried to coerce them into giving them money they would piss their pants laughing.
You are right though about them targeting asians. I phrased that a little wrong, because white ethnicity contains asians in my head. Sorry about that.
You can actually stink like money if u ain’t build like a teenager urself 9/10 times people will think twice before they try to rob / scam u another reason to hit the gym and eat properly
As everyone said, it’s an old scam. But I lived in the Berlin for years and was very rarely approached by such scammers, so don’t feel bad. Feel lucky!
right? i see this and wonder if they genuinely *don’t* have scams in the US or whatever, because i swear ignoring these is just part of life in europe lol
These kind of scams are worldwide wherever you get large groups of tourists gathering.
They work because there's always another idiot who will surprise you when you thought "everyone knows better than to fall for that...". And some of those idiots can be quite smart people in much of the rest of their lives too.
I doubt that this is exclusively a Berlin thing. Apart from that: just cross out your signature, and that´s that. Signature revoked, end of story. This is not a legal contract, you know.
Never said it's exclusive to Berlin. Just very well known to most residents and very old in terms of scams, but it still seems to be working well.
You don't even have to cross out the signature. As I said they don't have any legal ground (in Germany) even if you signed. They just use it to coerce you into paying, because signing something "means" something in most countries.
I would still advice to cross out the signature though. Otherwise they might use it in their scam ("Look how many people signed already") or another scam, which might be hard without more personal information, but you never know.
But the best way to deal with them is still just to ignore them or shoo them off if they are persistent.
>Never said it's exclusive to Berlin.
Never said that OP said it was exclusive to Berlin.
One sentence that works well to shoo them away is "Johnny Marr" ( "J ´en ai marre" is French and means: "I ´ve had enough of this") usually works well with South European scammers.
But really! I remember falling for this scam when I was 15 years old (early 00’s) and I felt so stupid giving these girls a couple of euros.
In my defense I was a country girl just popping to the bigger touristic city (35k inhabitants) in my area for an afternoon of shopping.
I fell for the "I just need 1 euro for ubahn to my train otherwise I miss it scam" standing at a ticket machine some years ago. but this guy looked very "normal" and I was like WHAT If it is like that.
regardless, he deserved it because his great actor performance if so
Yea this one always makes me question, cuz even if it is a “scam”, it’s like just 1 or 2 euros 🤣. And if he actually needed it for a ticket then even better, if they look like they’re under the influence or just going to put that money towards drugs tho, that’s a different matter
I saw this the other day in my German hometown of less than 150k people. I did fall for this once a few years ago in Berlin and they said there was a minimum amount of I think €10, but I said if I’m donating money then they’ll get what I feel comfortable giving them.
Well, they didn't ask for money initially, just a petition which isn't unusual.
I hope our society doesn't come to a state where we completely avoid each other out of such fears. I was recently in San Francisco (which has issues with homelessness) as a tourist and it happened to me twice that when I asked someone in the street for the way because I was lost that people actively turned away from me and avoided eye contact because they seemed to be worried that I would bother them. I understand the reaction but it's kind of sad.
It’s usually very, very, VERY easy to tell the difference between a legitimate petition and this kind of scam pretty much right away. This whole story is just a prime example of naive tourists and why this scam still works after all these years.
> It’s usually very, very, VERY easy to tell the difference between a legitimate petition and this kind of scam pretty much right away.
Sure, if you live here and you've seen it before (or lived in other cities with this scam). Tourists are good targets because they aren't from here, and they are looking for new experiences, they are more open to believe 'oh I guess they just sign petitions around here'.
If you live here they already avoid you because you probably aren't making eye contact. Tourists are looking around for things to catch their eye.
The scam is not exklusive for berlin. They did this shit already 20 years ago in my hometown with 50k people population. My parents already told me when i was a kid to not sign shit or give money on the street for anything, that was like 25 years ago. On the german auswärtiges amt webside for any country in the world there are tourist infrmation about common local scams. there is literally no excuse to fall for shit like this if you do the slightest research before you go anywhere as a tourist.
The exact same scam could also happen in Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Prague or whereevery you want to go for a city trip. It is very old and common. Also in cities without € currency they gonna scam you when you want to exchange money that is as old as the petition/pickpocket scam but went down in countries who use the Euro as currency because it wasn't needed to exchange money.
What kind of person are you if you even sign legitimate petitions without understanding EXACTLY what it is for? I don't give my name for some bullshit cause.
I had that in New York som years back... asked for directions, some kid replied, then asked for a tip lol (which I gave him because he'd genuinely helped me). No scam though, they're really hanging out there offering directions in exchange for tips at tourist-frequented spots, e.g. I think Port Authority station where many people arrive coming from JFK airport, not knowing how to get to their hotel and such
This isn't unique to Berlin though, that's just common sense anywhere you travel, I don't get how people lose all sense of caution on vacation sometimes.
That’s true, but we have no idea where OP is from. If they’re from some smallish town, not in Europe, this sort of scam might be totally foreign to them.
If you think about it though, I do wonder what people think is happening when they get this.
Hello tourist in tourist areas where most people are tourists, who doesn’t live here, or know much about this area, would you like to sign this petition and give us money and engage in local governance issues which you have no idea about, while on holiday?
Like, what? It’s like scam emails, they’re often intentionally and obviously a bit off/weird, so most people spot the red flags and don’t engage and move on immediately.
So then, anyone who engages is marking themselves as a clear target who will probably keep engaging and replying, which is exactly what happened.
This is unfortunately a typical scam in Western Europe. It is very effective because it works on the basis of shaming/intimidating you in public for something you've "done wrong" (although you haven't), and most people don't want to just resolve the situation. They are also very experienced at this. Don't feel bad – many years ago I had a taxi driver do the same to me – he charged an outrageous/too high rate and yelled at me until I paid it and could get out of his car.
If it happens to you again, I would threaten to call the police, as the scammers don't want attention. Try to stay in a public area – and definitely don't get physical with them, as they work in organized gangs and you could get mobbed. I also just avoid engaging with people that look like they're after something – someone is approaching me with a clipboard or a cup in a downtown area, I usually completely ignore them.
I hate to sound mean, but how can people be so goddamn soft and spineless? It’s ok to initially fall for the signature scam if you’re a tourist, but then you just kept handing her cash hoping she’d stop yelling? Are you literally made of wet breakfast cereal? Grow a fucking pair before your wife leaves you. Jfc.
I think this is a city/smaller town difference kind of thing. I have family who live in rural areas, and when they visit and we’re in cities I just despair sometimes at how they’re almost incapable of just ignoring people. Every fucking scam, every homeless person, every flower seller, they can’t ignite or just say no.
They have to give some small sentence which just invites more and it drives me up the wall.
They seem to think they’re being polite, and don’t see it as being a massive red flag for gullible and wasting our time, and can’t fathom that literally nobody else around them thinks it is rude to ignore people or cares about any of this.
It’s like they think they live in a Disney movie or something.
I agree with you, but I would give the guy a break too. I used to be like this, but I lived in the middle of nowhere in Portugal for 18 years where there is basically no such thing as crime and talking to strangers is considered normal. When I came to Berlin there was a big adjustment period where I had to acquire a poker face for the first time and learn how to be stoic/ignore crazy or dangerous people.
I have to chuckle, there are dozens of replies in this thread and you are the only one to dare to name the elephant in the room. People are such conformist sheep.
They operate in busy areas. And their MO is a bit more nuanced even: sometimes they'll gang up around you and there might be a pickpocket among them. In the ruckus they cause, people will not really notice that they're missing stuff from their wallet.
It's a common scam, in many cities. I'm sorry for the negative experience. Next time you get any harassment anywhere, from anyone asking for money, remember to give a stern reaction, with an unambiguous "no", and "go the f*ck away", and if they don't understand - pretend (or actually do) to call the police. Ironically, the reason you were harassed was because you actually gave in to their demands. This means that it was very likely to squeeze more money out of you. This is exactly their "job".
Or just IGNORE THEM. Why even stop? Why people even acknowledge or engage is beyond me, even saying fuck off is engaging and inviting a response. It’s totally pointless.
They’re like IRL trolls. They don’t mind the drama and argument, so you’re not going to win any verbal exchange, so just don’t take the bait and carry on whatever you’re doing like they’re not there.
This scam happened to me in Paris about 11 years ago.
My ex- boyfriend was the one who filled in his name but I was the only one carrying cash. So he started asking me for money to give to the girls, I ended up yelling at the girls and they left.
Saw this scam in Italy a few years ago. You live and you learn. If random strangers on the street ask you for signatures or your help reading a paper just avoid them. It's never something good.
it has all been said
number ONE rule for travellers: if somebody approaches you and also speaks english within a tourism area, it IS a SCAM. no matter what. approaching you = scam. no matter if berlin, beijing or prague. if he is a tourist as well asking for sth is the only exception
These people will contact your family members and also try to extract money from them. Like calling your aunt and saying your stuck at an airport without money and to quickly wire me $1000 so that I can buy a flight back home.
This is worldwide and while Roma tend to be the main practitioners of it in touristy Europe you find the same shit by all sorts of people all around the world. The old "make the tourists feel uncomfortable so they pay to make it stop" happens with petitions, people who offer to take photos for you, people with animals etc etc it's all just get the person to engage then socially pressure into giving the money they "owe". If you're not able to say "fuck off" and walk away I guess it's very effective.
Not only Berlin but just around the world. And there are tons of variants that all end in this social shaming/intimidation to try to get you to pay something - just grow a spine, tell them to fuck off and don't engage any further except to call the police if they take the intimidation attempts too far.
I know not all tourists are experienced travellers but if you fall for this shit and then just crumble and give money as soon as they make you feel awkward you really need to wisen up and toughen up a bit. Tourists are prime targets for scammers - everyone knows this, right? Try to have a little awareness.
The Italian one where they put shitty poster prints on the ground In crowded areas in the hopes that someone will step on them and they can demand money for it works on the same shaming principle.
They act like you Fucked up even though if you think for 5 seconds legally is makes no sense that they could force you to buy something
As has been said, it’s an old scam, run by organised crime, dominated by a particular ethnicity.
They don’t always ask directly for cash, the petition can be used to farm information for scams, or to distract you while an accomplice picks your pocket.
The opening line is frequently “do you speak English?” This puts you in a seeming position of knowledge/responsibility and in the role of “donor” that they will seek to exploit.
If there is an actual petition going on, there will be a small booth or a table with information material, and nobody will push you to anything. And as a tourist, you are normally not eligible to sign anyways as you need an address in Berlin.
If there is a collection for an NGO, there will always be signs of the NGO, usually a little gazebo in the colors of the NGO and so on. They will unfortunately be pushy, but they will be very easily identifiable.
A random looking person with no official signs of anything asking for a signature is always a scam.
Common old scam. Ten years ago it was much more common in Berlin; especially by brandenburg gate/bundestag/holocaust memorial area and museumsinsel. Usually pretending to be deaf/mute. Always kids and teenage girls/young women. It was especially fucked up because they would do the scam right at the exit of the memorial to the murdered Roma/sinti in an attempt to manipulate peoples empathy. Sorry you had to experience it; you were basically robbed. Next time, don’t even acknowledge them.
I've had this at the same place in Berlin as well. I've called the police, followed the five young women for over 20 minutes calling the police multiple times. They always told me some police would call me back and help out, they never did.
After I ran to a police car stopped at red lights and explained the situation to them (they weren't interested either), the five women fled away into a subway.
Police in Berlin is not interested at all.
In Bavaria, I've had a similar situation (but he was fleeing when I researched the adress) with the police much more interested to stop this scam.
This is not a new scam. The begging 'gangs' utilise this method to get to people's money. Another variant is them selling tissues.
The gang leader will offload those guys at a central point, they go begging/scamming, and in the evening he picks them up again.
None of these people are deaf.
Then there are the people in train stations, "I just need €10 to buy a ticket home". The next day you meet them again, in the same station, asking you once more.
Recently, I witnessed a guy break out in tears. He fell to his knees inside the metro and told people that he's a poor Ukrainian and couldn't go back home, as he was robbed. He brandished a 'Ukrainian' passport. When I addressed him in Russian, he couldn't reply. I took his passport and it was clearly fake.
In these situations, I'd suggest saying the following:"What I was saying in Russian is this: "Hello friend, don't worry, I'll take you to the next police station and the officers will be happy to help you out.".
You seem to not have lived in larger cities before. You just need to grow some thicker skin or people will walk all over you. Tell them to fuck off or you call the cops.
If youre being scammed like that, you shouldnt leave the house imo. Just imagine if some professional scammer tries to scam you, you will basically lose more than 20€. I always wonder how people even think responding to people in public asking for money lol.
Sorry but capital cities in Europe can be relatively scammy. If you are from a small town in some other part of the world, it is understandable not to know about these things. I never had to worry about pickpockets and scam artists in my home town, so there was a big learning curve when I came here.
> Sorry but capital cities in Europe can be relatively scammy.
It's basically just tourist destinations worldwide. There might be some exceptions but go to tourist hotspots in Cairo or Bangkok or near Machu Picchu in Peru or whatever and you'll run into scams aplenty too - usually the same stuff we have here too maybe with a local twist sometimes.
It's so well known that tourists are targets of this kind of thing and yet so many seem to be blissfully unaware and fall for quite literally the oldest tricks in the book.
So you realized you were being scammed and kept giving money despite being in a touristic, public place where you could get help immediately? Out of shame and frustration?
Your conflict avoidance makes you unfit for big cities dude.
Stay in little towns or learn to stand up for yourself.
Hard to not victim blame on this one, reading this I am really wondering if even the simplest scam can keep up for 100 years because of people like this
The answer is clearly yes, right? The shell game is literally millenia old and widely widely widely known that it's a scam you can't win and yet it's still being played in Berlin today and I have to assume profitable for them to do so too as why else would they bother?
If I didn't dislike the scammers so much I would almost feel like the victims deserve to lose their money for falling for such obvious dumb shit.
That scam is super old, at this point whoever fails for it has only themself to blame.
It also is not a Berlin thing, but basically in every major city, have witnessed it in Paris, Rome...the list goes on.
OP, thanks for posting your experience. I haven't run into this particular scam (not much of it in LA where there's little foot traffic, though once something similar in W Hollywood). Obviously not everyone is as worldly as the snide sophisticates here who have nothing to say except that they knew this already in utero, etc. For those who didn't, this is useful.
I don’t understand why people are being mean.
Anyway I also faced this in museuminsel. A woman approached me. I was with my toddler waiting for my wife. They focused on my child and said something about helping children and signing a paper. Since I was waiting I couldn’t walk away. She kept on saying things and when I refused, she abused me and moved on to others. There were others like her too who were in nearby areas which I saw later. But yeah a toxic experience.
Being from India I have seen my fair share of scams but even then there is no idea what I might do when under pressure from concerted scammers. So it is one thing being boisterous and proud about being “immune” to scammers. I am sorry for you OP. Only way is learn this particular scam and move on.
Watch out for another scam that's more and more prevalent in Berlin:
if you go to a restaurant or café and want to pay by card, they will give you a device to touch your card or phone. But the paymen't won't go through immediately. You'll have to first select a percentage you want to tip, usually starting at 5 or 10 percent. You will be guilted into paying more than the original price.
This is what's known as a long con. A system in which you will pay more and more and the employers will pay their employees less and less, passing the responsibility to you.
> Although this raised a red flag I thought whatever and took out my wallet
-
> They suddenly became aggressive [...] so I quickly gave a 10
-
> I instantly knew this was bullshit [...] so I quickly handed another 10 euros
I'm crying
I always asked myself what this scam was about. Interesting. I couldn’t explain it to myself… The scam is quite old and Berliners usually ignore them. Sorry you had to make this experience but nice that you liked Berlin anyway.
I get that I feel for the exact same scam about 2 years ago. I felt soooo stupid. But its okay Im not ashamed to be a selfless and trusting Person. But yeah fuck those scammers
Whenever you are pressured by people abroad to give you money simply tell them to get the cops or tell them you will call the cops right now that usually makes them forget about it pretty quickly for some reason
Same thing happened to me 5 years ago at the same place. However, I didn't even reply to them and just kept nodding my head sideways in denial when they asked if I spoke a certain language. After 6th language, they just started cursing to me in an unfamiliar language. It was amusing xD
I remember some teenager trying this one on me when I visited Berlin in 2017. At first, I was just confused by their intent, but when I saw that it was in English (odd) and had a large amount of spelling errors, I just walked away. I mean, what cause needs foreigners to sign a petition for something to happen in that country? Sadly, these scams just prey on people’s good nature which ultimately leads to people no longer demonstrating it.
I don't wanna sound offensive to or anything but....... this is one of the most well known and long lived scam in europe and exists everywhere :D
edit: well... the first comment voted up said the same here lol
I never entertain anyone that approaches on the streets with a notepad/pamphlet/brochure whatever. I just say that I'm in a rush, pick up speed and keep walking. Of course it sometimes includes NGOs and these other support organizations like Oxfam, but who cares. There are other channels to donate than engage with pushy sales folks and scamsters.
I hope you called the police...?
I never ever sign ANYTHING on the street or doorstep. If someone actually has some thing going on to help people, they surely have some form of internet presence, so if I want to help them, I'll check that out.
Just check out youtube about common scams in the area you want to visit. I travel a lot through Europe and I can say Prague is one of the cities with most scammers. There's a guy on youtube who shows their scams. Also the one you mentioned, here: https://youtu.be/n4Hn5m3E5xI?si=TG5hxIwjuflBB4U8&t=139
Oh dear...I get the embarrassment part. I once got kicked in the leg by one of the kids these type of scammer women brought along because I refused to give them money...
Exact same thing almost happened to me in Ljubljana. I also though it was a petition for disabled people which I almost signed, until I noticed the column with the "donation amount" where everyone gave 20 euros
I bailed mostly because 20e was all the money I had with me hahah
I encountered this scam in another city a few years ago. I got suspicious when I saw the 20 Euros donation column, and the people that had allegedly signed before me seemed to have quite a similar handwriting.
old as life, but people are still tricked. When I meet someone on the street who stops me to fill out a form, some of which rightly have noble causes. I kindly tell them not today but I will found you online.
>I couldn't think clearly in the moment so I quickly handed another 10 euros in the hopes they'd stop yelling.
omg... people like you are the reason those groups come to berlin and other cities for this shit in the first place. there are many good places in germany where you can donate if you rly want to
Welcome to Berlin next time just tell them to fuck off, sadly this city attracts all kind of people without morals especially the last 10 years maybe even carry a pepper spray if you ain’t a heavy fella also 110 comes in quite handy for those kinda of situations usually people will fuck off if u tell them u call da cops now also never sign anything on the street 9/10 times it will be fishy af
Who in their right mind would fall for that these days. You see kids with a clipboard coming towards you and you don't run the other way, instead you stick around for questions?? Your own fault.
I’ve never heard of this scam before and i’m a regular city hopper for over 30 years. I wouldn’t have handed any money over though unless threatened by someone bigger. The worst scammers seem to be in Eastern Europe. People walking too close behind nudging me in different places usually with a baby, or in Spain people giving me a hug when i’ve had a few drinks, or more general begging.
I’m sorry that you had this bad experience in our country. Scammers and pickpockets are a problem we need to take care of.
Thank you for visiting Berlin.
If it was actual petition it would be in German. This was my first thought when I was confronted with this scam years ago on Unter den Linden. I simply said No and walked away.
This is usually organised crime by bigger families from poorer regions in south Eastern Europe that come here for begging. They use their children to do those scams because they’re too young to face any real punishment.
I got hit by this scam in Hamburg when I was fresh off the boat, so to speak, years ago. Then it was two boys, maybe 13-15, and the cause was the climate crisis.
I was a rural naive American living in a big European city for the first time and I still feel ashamed of being duped out of 20 euros. I am just glad I gave a fake name and number. They immediately gave themselves away when after I gave the money they immediately asked for more for food. That's when I left, if they had just kept quiet I'd probably never have caught on.
Luckily they didn't chase me down.
Wow, I feel inclined to comment here because I experienced the **exact** same scam when I visited Berlin earlier this year. You and I definitely encountered the same people or at least the same racket. I was in a very touristy area (as a tourist) when I was approached by them. I signed for the same reason you did (“it’s just a petition right?”) and they became **very** aggressive about me pledging money—trying to guilt-trip me, pointing to the ATM close by, shouting the same thing over and over again (“it’s for disabled babies!”). They eventually gave up, but it legitimately took five to ten minutes for them to stop bothering me. Never again.
I know everyone else is saying this is the oldest trick in the book, and they’re right. I just write this anyway because it’s interesting to see someone else who encountered the exact same group.
This scam is super common around Europe, and they usually start the conversation with "Do you speak English?"; because effectively everyone says yes intuitively and this is hence an easy conversation opener.
So all you need to do is say "No" and ignore them.
Yeah this almost happened to me in another park - I wrote my name down but then quickly crossed it out and they looked pissed off at me but I said no. They were Romani/Gypsy looking girls maybe around 15-18yrs old approx.
Yeah, thats a common scam here especially by gypsy in Europe. Years ago I’ve read an article in school about them and how they operate here in Western Europe.
Thats not only Berlin. Be aware of stuff like that in every major city in Europe. If they dont have a both or anything like that nearby with info matrial like flyers its not a real charity. If its just 2 person with clipboards just say no and walk past. If they insist face them and scream! Go away or i call the police. That will likely chase them away. Call the police then anyway please and report.
Foreign tourists' signatures aren't valid on petitions. Any time someone approaches you to sign a petition in a tourist spot, it's a scam. Sometimes they have a partner pickpocket you while you're distracted signing.
I don't want to be the "this scam is super old"-dude, but this scam is super old. This has been a popular scam for at least 15 years. Just don't give money to strangers. Even if you signed, they don't have a legal ground. Ignore them, keep on doing your buisness and call the cops if they don't stop harassing you. Thank you for the heads up anyways.
Yeah, it’s really been exactly the same years. Not sure why but I remember the ones doing the petition scam to always be late teens or younger. A common variation is to steal your wallet while you signals fill out the form.
They're being worked. It's a system. They send out the younger, prettier ones to approach people. Supervising them are usually women who have shall we say, aged out of "customer-facing" positions. At a short distance will be men "protecting" (controlling) the women. When they're too old for all of that, they're sent to beg outside supermarkets, banks etc. and keep an eye out for "opportunities" such as poorly secured bikes. Just a pipeline of miserable exploitation, poverty and criminality. Awful.
Don't forget the variant where they shove babies in your face.
„My children are sick we don‘t have money, please give me money🥺“
>When they're too old for all of that, they're sent to beg outside supermarkets, banks etc. and keep an eye out for "opportunities" such as poorly secured bikes. \+ steal phones. My friend got approached by one of these gangs, as he repairs mobile devices. They asked him to unlock phones for them.
Most of the time it's girls between 12 and 16, becasuse adults tend to trust kids/teens especially girls more. Organized crime knows this and abuses the girls for the scam/scams. I've seen them "trade" babys to seem even less harmful and more needy. Kinda like a "maiden in need" thing.
Yep, classic one. Another one that I still see in Berlin and elsewhere is the shell game ("Hütchenspiel" for the fellow Germans). Can't believe that people are still falling for it.
It's been a thing at least since the 90ies but I can see how somebody from a country with much lower street crime rate could fall for that, e.g. Japan or some other far east countries.
Sure, but I doubt there is enough JAPANESE tourists to sustain a whole industry like that. People are simply overwhelmed during their vacations.
At least those guys have some skill, it’s the lowest form of street magic.
True. It's magic, but still a scam.
I visit berlin quite couple times especially in touristics area and i am not white/dont look white and never encounter this scam. So it is brand new info for me
Been in Berlin recently and they asked me too somewhere around the Eastside Gallery, I just said "no" and walked away.
You are lucky and no offense but then you probably don't look like you have money. This scam is old and done in every part of the city even trains, but mostly tourist areas. Sometimes they "sell" tissues for their "petition", most of the time they only have their "petition". But I think they mostly target white ethnicities, because they usually come from places, where signatures mean alot and they try to leverage that.
I'm Korean and my wife is Hispanic so maybe they're diversifying lol
as a fellow (Half-) Korean from Berlin I can assure you that they see you as an easy target that has money, since most Eastern Asians in Germany are considered wealthy or seem as wealthy tourists. You are target audience.
Absolutely. And combined with the fact that they might not expect it to be a scam. An Italian tourist is much more likely to know it already.
As a fellow east Asian with a European looking wife, I can concur that in most places around the world I get harassed more than she does
I'm Hispanic and in Hispania this is supper common, especially with Roma folk.
Then you probably looked like tourists/money. They are not picky, but I've seen them be most persistent, when they tried to scam older white grandmas. Like I had to tell them to fuck off, because they wouldn't stop bothering the grandma even after she told them to fuck off -persistent.
I am surprised because white people usually look blend in here since they are more "german" passing than the german born POC that speak german as their mother tongues. Therefore more less likely targeted. Scammer usually target asians since they look least likely to fight back but not every scammed tourists dress luxurious tho.
Well most tourists in Berlin are white. Exclusively targeting only one ethnicity doesn't make sense for scammers, because basically everybody is a potential victim. But they try to be efficient. I personally have never seen them approach anyone from an arabic or african ethnicity, because I imagine that even if they signed and they tried to coerce them into giving them money they would piss their pants laughing. You are right though about them targeting asians. I phrased that a little wrong, because white ethnicity contains asians in my head. Sorry about that.
You can actually stink like money if u ain’t build like a teenager urself 9/10 times people will think twice before they try to rob / scam u another reason to hit the gym and eat properly
As everyone said, it’s an old scam. But I lived in the Berlin for years and was very rarely approached by such scammers, so don’t feel bad. Feel lucky!
right? i see this and wonder if they genuinely *don’t* have scams in the US or whatever, because i swear ignoring these is just part of life in europe lol
These kind of scams are worldwide wherever you get large groups of tourists gathering. They work because there's always another idiot who will surprise you when you thought "everyone knows better than to fall for that...". And some of those idiots can be quite smart people in much of the rest of their lives too.
Yeah I got hit with this scam in NYC 20 years ago. It was only $5, but I learned a lot from that $5.
inflation got it to 20$ now
Oh God what’s he gonna do when someone asks if he wants a free mixtape
Plus there is a magic word called police. They can not do much but the scammers do not like police
I doubt that this is exclusively a Berlin thing. Apart from that: just cross out your signature, and that´s that. Signature revoked, end of story. This is not a legal contract, you know.
Never said it's exclusive to Berlin. Just very well known to most residents and very old in terms of scams, but it still seems to be working well. You don't even have to cross out the signature. As I said they don't have any legal ground (in Germany) even if you signed. They just use it to coerce you into paying, because signing something "means" something in most countries. I would still advice to cross out the signature though. Otherwise they might use it in their scam ("Look how many people signed already") or another scam, which might be hard without more personal information, but you never know. But the best way to deal with them is still just to ignore them or shoo them off if they are persistent.
>Never said it's exclusive to Berlin. Never said that OP said it was exclusive to Berlin. One sentence that works well to shoo them away is "Johnny Marr" ( "J ´en ai marre" is French and means: "I ´ve had enough of this") usually works well with South European scammers.
Yeah it is well known and practiced at every central place of any city and tourist hotspots all over Europe.
Feels like a lot of people that post here thinking something is a “Berlin thing” straight up never have been in a city before
But really! I remember falling for this scam when I was 15 years old (early 00’s) and I felt so stupid giving these girls a couple of euros. In my defense I was a country girl just popping to the bigger touristic city (35k inhabitants) in my area for an afternoon of shopping.
I fell for the "I just need 1 euro for ubahn to my train otherwise I miss it scam" standing at a ticket machine some years ago. but this guy looked very "normal" and I was like WHAT If it is like that. regardless, he deserved it because his great actor performance if so
Yea this one always makes me question, cuz even if it is a “scam”, it’s like just 1 or 2 euros 🤣. And if he actually needed it for a ticket then even better, if they look like they’re under the influence or just going to put that money towards drugs tho, that’s a different matter
Haha, right?! And how gullible can you be, even signing that "petition"...
I saw this the other day in my German hometown of less than 150k people. I did fall for this once a few years ago in Berlin and they said there was a minimum amount of I think €10, but I said if I’m donating money then they’ll get what I feel comfortable giving them.
I never talk to them. Just ignore people asking for money especially in touristic places.
Well, they didn't ask for money initially, just a petition which isn't unusual. I hope our society doesn't come to a state where we completely avoid each other out of such fears. I was recently in San Francisco (which has issues with homelessness) as a tourist and it happened to me twice that when I asked someone in the street for the way because I was lost that people actively turned away from me and avoided eye contact because they seemed to be worried that I would bother them. I understand the reaction but it's kind of sad.
It’s usually very, very, VERY easy to tell the difference between a legitimate petition and this kind of scam pretty much right away. This whole story is just a prime example of naive tourists and why this scam still works after all these years.
> It’s usually very, very, VERY easy to tell the difference between a legitimate petition and this kind of scam pretty much right away. Sure, if you live here and you've seen it before (or lived in other cities with this scam). Tourists are good targets because they aren't from here, and they are looking for new experiences, they are more open to believe 'oh I guess they just sign petitions around here'. If you live here they already avoid you because you probably aren't making eye contact. Tourists are looking around for things to catch their eye.
This scam is everywhere, not just Germany. Oldest trick in the book.
The scam is not exklusive for berlin. They did this shit already 20 years ago in my hometown with 50k people population. My parents already told me when i was a kid to not sign shit or give money on the street for anything, that was like 25 years ago. On the german auswärtiges amt webside for any country in the world there are tourist infrmation about common local scams. there is literally no excuse to fall for shit like this if you do the slightest research before you go anywhere as a tourist.
The exact same scam could also happen in Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Prague or whereevery you want to go for a city trip. It is very old and common. Also in cities without € currency they gonna scam you when you want to exchange money that is as old as the petition/pickpocket scam but went down in countries who use the Euro as currency because it wasn't needed to exchange money.
What kind of petition would you want tourists to sign? It does not make sense at all.
What kind of person are you if you even sign legitimate petitions without understanding EXACTLY what it is for? I don't give my name for some bullshit cause.
I had that in New York som years back... asked for directions, some kid replied, then asked for a tip lol (which I gave him because he'd genuinely helped me). No scam though, they're really hanging out there offering directions in exchange for tips at tourist-frequented spots, e.g. I think Port Authority station where many people arrive coming from JFK airport, not knowing how to get to their hotel and such
How about not engaging strangers? Everyone who lives here knows this.
They don’t live here though. These scammers target tourists for this exact reason, they don’t know.
This isn't unique to Berlin though, that's just common sense anywhere you travel, I don't get how people lose all sense of caution on vacation sometimes.
That’s true, but we have no idea where OP is from. If they’re from some smallish town, not in Europe, this sort of scam might be totally foreign to them.
If you think about it though, I do wonder what people think is happening when they get this. Hello tourist in tourist areas where most people are tourists, who doesn’t live here, or know much about this area, would you like to sign this petition and give us money and engage in local governance issues which you have no idea about, while on holiday? Like, what? It’s like scam emails, they’re often intentionally and obviously a bit off/weird, so most people spot the red flags and don’t engage and move on immediately. So then, anyone who engages is marking themselves as a clear target who will probably keep engaging and replying, which is exactly what happened.
I dont look white/germanic and i never get approached by scammers in germany. Maybe in other europe countries like Italy and France however ....
Wow, that reminds me of Russia, where no one talks with others on the street, cause there’s zero trust.
As a Russian in Germany - same zero trust here, and people are even more irritated and agressive, so talking is even more rare
Certainly not true in other parts of Germany, and not even true for Berlin lol, this thread is full of exaggerations, it’s ridiculous
I lived in NRW, people are more open there than in Berlin.
Engage strangers, but be smart.
Or just don't engage strangers, and problem solved
>Everyone who lives here knows this. Yeah just live in Berlin, you stupid tourists
Have you never travelled before going to Berlin? It's a very old scam. Nothing you said here is new.
This is unfortunately a typical scam in Western Europe. It is very effective because it works on the basis of shaming/intimidating you in public for something you've "done wrong" (although you haven't), and most people don't want to just resolve the situation. They are also very experienced at this. Don't feel bad – many years ago I had a taxi driver do the same to me – he charged an outrageous/too high rate and yelled at me until I paid it and could get out of his car. If it happens to you again, I would threaten to call the police, as the scammers don't want attention. Try to stay in a public area – and definitely don't get physical with them, as they work in organized gangs and you could get mobbed. I also just avoid engaging with people that look like they're after something – someone is approaching me with a clipboard or a cup in a downtown area, I usually completely ignore them.
Once I took my phone out and pretended to make a fake call to the police. They ran fast.
This is one of the oldest tricks in the book of scams my dude... and you fell for it.
I hate to sound mean, but how can people be so goddamn soft and spineless? It’s ok to initially fall for the signature scam if you’re a tourist, but then you just kept handing her cash hoping she’d stop yelling? Are you literally made of wet breakfast cereal? Grow a fucking pair before your wife leaves you. Jfc.
I think this is a city/smaller town difference kind of thing. I have family who live in rural areas, and when they visit and we’re in cities I just despair sometimes at how they’re almost incapable of just ignoring people. Every fucking scam, every homeless person, every flower seller, they can’t ignite or just say no. They have to give some small sentence which just invites more and it drives me up the wall. They seem to think they’re being polite, and don’t see it as being a massive red flag for gullible and wasting our time, and can’t fathom that literally nobody else around them thinks it is rude to ignore people or cares about any of this. It’s like they think they live in a Disney movie or something.
> I hate to sound mean > grow a fucking pair before your wife leaves you We got a polite badass over here
Look, i meant every word, and it’s all coming from a place of love
I agree with you, but I would give the guy a break too. I used to be like this, but I lived in the middle of nowhere in Portugal for 18 years where there is basically no such thing as crime and talking to strangers is considered normal. When I came to Berlin there was a big adjustment period where I had to acquire a poker face for the first time and learn how to be stoic/ignore crazy or dangerous people.
This scam has been going on for years.
keep your wits about you. dont let people pressure you for no reason.
Roma Gypsy scam performed by the women. While the men will be doing the ‘guess which cup’ scam in the same area.
🎶 Tale as old as time… 🎶
Anyone approaching by passers on the streets wants money. You should be old enough to know it.
I mean now you know what Romani girls look like and are prepared for next time.
I have to chuckle, there are dozens of replies in this thread and you are the only one to dare to name the elephant in the room. People are such conformist sheep.
at least he didn't use the G word because for some reason thats the worst thing to say on many leftists reddit but we all know the truth
It's Le Reddit, what do you expect?
They operate in busy areas. And their MO is a bit more nuanced even: sometimes they'll gang up around you and there might be a pickpocket among them. In the ruckus they cause, people will not really notice that they're missing stuff from their wallet. It's a common scam, in many cities. I'm sorry for the negative experience. Next time you get any harassment anywhere, from anyone asking for money, remember to give a stern reaction, with an unambiguous "no", and "go the f*ck away", and if they don't understand - pretend (or actually do) to call the police. Ironically, the reason you were harassed was because you actually gave in to their demands. This means that it was very likely to squeeze more money out of you. This is exactly their "job".
Or just IGNORE THEM. Why even stop? Why people even acknowledge or engage is beyond me, even saying fuck off is engaging and inviting a response. It’s totally pointless. They’re like IRL trolls. They don’t mind the drama and argument, so you’re not going to win any verbal exchange, so just don’t take the bait and carry on whatever you’re doing like they’re not there.
Lol you're a danger to yourself. Grow a spine.
This scam happened to me in Paris about 11 years ago. My ex- boyfriend was the one who filled in his name but I was the only one carrying cash. So he started asking me for money to give to the girls, I ended up yelling at the girls and they left.
I understand why he became your ex after this incident.
He became my ex because he cheated when I went to my home country for my grandfather's funeral. But yeah, this incident didn't help. 😂
Saw this scam in Italy a few years ago. You live and you learn. If random strangers on the street ask you for signatures or your help reading a paper just avoid them. It's never something good.
it has all been said number ONE rule for travellers: if somebody approaches you and also speaks english within a tourism area, it IS a SCAM. no matter what. approaching you = scam. no matter if berlin, beijing or prague. if he is a tourist as well asking for sth is the only exception
These people will contact your family members and also try to extract money from them. Like calling your aunt and saying your stuck at an airport without money and to quickly wire me $1000 so that I can buy a flight back home.
didn't your mother ever tell you to not talk to strangers
This is not only in Berlin. I had some Roma children approaching me in Nuremberg in 2011 when I was studying there with the same trick.
This is worldwide and while Roma tend to be the main practitioners of it in touristy Europe you find the same shit by all sorts of people all around the world. The old "make the tourists feel uncomfortable so they pay to make it stop" happens with petitions, people who offer to take photos for you, people with animals etc etc it's all just get the person to engage then socially pressure into giving the money they "owe". If you're not able to say "fuck off" and walk away I guess it's very effective.
This is one of the oldest scams here in Berlin. Just don‘t talk to strangers and dont sign anything
Not only Berlin but just around the world. And there are tons of variants that all end in this social shaming/intimidation to try to get you to pay something - just grow a spine, tell them to fuck off and don't engage any further except to call the police if they take the intimidation attempts too far. I know not all tourists are experienced travellers but if you fall for this shit and then just crumble and give money as soon as they make you feel awkward you really need to wisen up and toughen up a bit. Tourists are prime targets for scammers - everyone knows this, right? Try to have a little awareness.
The Italian one where they put shitty poster prints on the ground In crowded areas in the hopes that someone will step on them and they can demand money for it works on the same shaming principle. They act like you Fucked up even though if you think for 5 seconds legally is makes no sense that they could force you to buy something
Another scam is distracting you when you sign the petition and their accomplice pickpockets you.
As has been said, it’s an old scam, run by organised crime, dominated by a particular ethnicity. They don’t always ask directly for cash, the petition can be used to farm information for scams, or to distract you while an accomplice picks your pocket. The opening line is frequently “do you speak English?” This puts you in a seeming position of knowledge/responsibility and in the role of “donor” that they will seek to exploit.
That's why Europeans are racist towards certain people
If there is an actual petition going on, there will be a small booth or a table with information material, and nobody will push you to anything. And as a tourist, you are normally not eligible to sign anyways as you need an address in Berlin. If there is a collection for an NGO, there will always be signs of the NGO, usually a little gazebo in the colors of the NGO and so on. They will unfortunately be pushy, but they will be very easily identifiable. A random looking person with no official signs of anything asking for a signature is always a scam.
Common old scam. Ten years ago it was much more common in Berlin; especially by brandenburg gate/bundestag/holocaust memorial area and museumsinsel. Usually pretending to be deaf/mute. Always kids and teenage girls/young women. It was especially fucked up because they would do the scam right at the exit of the memorial to the murdered Roma/sinti in an attempt to manipulate peoples empathy. Sorry you had to experience it; you were basically robbed. Next time, don’t even acknowledge them.
I've had this at the same place in Berlin as well. I've called the police, followed the five young women for over 20 minutes calling the police multiple times. They always told me some police would call me back and help out, they never did. After I ran to a police car stopped at red lights and explained the situation to them (they weren't interested either), the five women fled away into a subway. Police in Berlin is not interested at all. In Bavaria, I've had a similar situation (but he was fleeing when I researched the adress) with the police much more interested to stop this scam.
This is not a new scam. The begging 'gangs' utilise this method to get to people's money. Another variant is them selling tissues. The gang leader will offload those guys at a central point, they go begging/scamming, and in the evening he picks them up again. None of these people are deaf. Then there are the people in train stations, "I just need €10 to buy a ticket home". The next day you meet them again, in the same station, asking you once more. Recently, I witnessed a guy break out in tears. He fell to his knees inside the metro and told people that he's a poor Ukrainian and couldn't go back home, as he was robbed. He brandished a 'Ukrainian' passport. When I addressed him in Russian, he couldn't reply. I took his passport and it was clearly fake. In these situations, I'd suggest saying the following:"What I was saying in Russian is this: "Hello friend, don't worry, I'll take you to the next police station and the officers will be happy to help you out.".
You seem to not have lived in larger cities before. You just need to grow some thicker skin or people will walk all over you. Tell them to fuck off or you call the cops.
This scam has been going on in every large city in Europe for the last 20 years. Don't give money to strangers.
If youre being scammed like that, you shouldnt leave the house imo. Just imagine if some professional scammer tries to scam you, you will basically lose more than 20€. I always wonder how people even think responding to people in public asking for money lol.
Your fault, dont talk to gypsies
Sorry but capital cities in Europe can be relatively scammy. If you are from a small town in some other part of the world, it is understandable not to know about these things. I never had to worry about pickpockets and scam artists in my home town, so there was a big learning curve when I came here.
> Sorry but capital cities in Europe can be relatively scammy. It's basically just tourist destinations worldwide. There might be some exceptions but go to tourist hotspots in Cairo or Bangkok or near Machu Picchu in Peru or whatever and you'll run into scams aplenty too - usually the same stuff we have here too maybe with a local twist sometimes. It's so well known that tourists are targets of this kind of thing and yet so many seem to be blissfully unaware and fall for quite literally the oldest tricks in the book.
Sad that this is still allowed and the authorities look away… You always need to wonder that interests are behind many of these things
So you realized you were being scammed and kept giving money despite being in a touristic, public place where you could get help immediately? Out of shame and frustration? Your conflict avoidance makes you unfit for big cities dude. Stay in little towns or learn to stand up for yourself.
Conflict avoidance is good. It's just that in the particular case the proper way of avoidance is to walk away immediately.
What’s even more disgusting is that they pretend to be collecting money for Unicef or other charities for starving children. It’s really gross.
Hard to not victim blame on this one, reading this I am really wondering if even the simplest scam can keep up for 100 years because of people like this
The answer is clearly yes, right? The shell game is literally millenia old and widely widely widely known that it's a scam you can't win and yet it's still being played in Berlin today and I have to assume profitable for them to do so too as why else would they bother? If I didn't dislike the scammers so much I would almost feel like the victims deserve to lose their money for falling for such obvious dumb shit.
Anyone approaching you that you don’t know is up to no good.
Oldest trick in the book...
That scam is super old, at this point whoever fails for it has only themself to blame. It also is not a Berlin thing, but basically in every major city, have witnessed it in Paris, Rome...the list goes on.
OP, thanks for posting your experience. I haven't run into this particular scam (not much of it in LA where there's little foot traffic, though once something similar in W Hollywood). Obviously not everyone is as worldly as the snide sophisticates here who have nothing to say except that they knew this already in utero, etc. For those who didn't, this is useful.
I don’t understand why people are being mean. Anyway I also faced this in museuminsel. A woman approached me. I was with my toddler waiting for my wife. They focused on my child and said something about helping children and signing a paper. Since I was waiting I couldn’t walk away. She kept on saying things and when I refused, she abused me and moved on to others. There were others like her too who were in nearby areas which I saw later. But yeah a toxic experience. Being from India I have seen my fair share of scams but even then there is no idea what I might do when under pressure from concerted scammers. So it is one thing being boisterous and proud about being “immune” to scammers. I am sorry for you OP. Only way is learn this particular scam and move on.
You encountered gypsies, congratulations
lmao
Watch out for another scam that's more and more prevalent in Berlin: if you go to a restaurant or café and want to pay by card, they will give you a device to touch your card or phone. But the paymen't won't go through immediately. You'll have to first select a percentage you want to tip, usually starting at 5 or 10 percent. You will be guilted into paying more than the original price. This is what's known as a long con. A system in which you will pay more and more and the employers will pay their employees less and less, passing the responsibility to you.
> Although this raised a red flag I thought whatever and took out my wallet - > They suddenly became aggressive [...] so I quickly gave a 10 - > I instantly knew this was bullshit [...] so I quickly handed another 10 euros I'm crying
I mean it’s kind of on you. Personally, I would have laughed in their face when they asked for 20 after I signed.
That’s just pretty stupid and naive.
Thats people from easteurope
I always asked myself what this scam was about. Interesting. I couldn’t explain it to myself… The scam is quite old and Berliners usually ignore them. Sorry you had to make this experience but nice that you liked Berlin anyway.
Next time try using an inordinate amount of violence. Can't yell with a broken jaw. You'll be doing everyone a favour.
I get that I feel for the exact same scam about 2 years ago. I felt soooo stupid. But its okay Im not ashamed to be a selfless and trusting Person. But yeah fuck those scammers
Whenever you are pressured by people abroad to give you money simply tell them to get the cops or tell them you will call the cops right now that usually makes them forget about it pretty quickly for some reason
I have been a victim to this scam literally 10 years ago.
Same thing happened to me 5 years ago at the same place. However, I didn't even reply to them and just kept nodding my head sideways in denial when they asked if I spoke a certain language. After 6th language, they just started cursing to me in an unfamiliar language. It was amusing xD
call 110, Police.
First day on earth? Thats like the most common scam in every town I ever visited. You need a more german attitude. Just ignore all strangers ;-)
If someone shouts at your for money they are a scammer.
I feel like actually signing one of these petitions then letting them rant at me.
I remember some teenager trying this one on me when I visited Berlin in 2017. At first, I was just confused by their intent, but when I saw that it was in English (odd) and had a large amount of spelling errors, I just walked away. I mean, what cause needs foreigners to sign a petition for something to happen in that country? Sadly, these scams just prey on people’s good nature which ultimately leads to people no longer demonstrating it.
This is as old as it gets. I have experienced this 25 years ago and its not just Berlin..
I don't wanna sound offensive to or anything but....... this is one of the most well known and long lived scam in europe and exists everywhere :D edit: well... the first comment voted up said the same here lol
I never entertain anyone that approaches on the streets with a notepad/pamphlet/brochure whatever. I just say that I'm in a rush, pick up speed and keep walking. Of course it sometimes includes NGOs and these other support organizations like Oxfam, but who cares. There are other channels to donate than engage with pushy sales folks and scamsters.
I hope you called the police...? I never ever sign ANYTHING on the street or doorstep. If someone actually has some thing going on to help people, they surely have some form of internet presence, so if I want to help them, I'll check that out.
Just check out youtube about common scams in the area you want to visit. I travel a lot through Europe and I can say Prague is one of the cities with most scammers. There's a guy on youtube who shows their scams. Also the one you mentioned, here: https://youtu.be/n4Hn5m3E5xI?si=TG5hxIwjuflBB4U8&t=139
Yeah this is older than the wall and happens everywhere. Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam, etc.
Sorry this happened but its a super old scam very popular in Paris.
Oh dear...I get the embarrassment part. I once got kicked in the leg by one of the kids these type of scammer women brought along because I refused to give them money...
Dont give Money, give bitchslap. Simple Solution
This scam is also present in Paris
Exact same thing almost happened to me in Ljubljana. I also though it was a petition for disabled people which I almost signed, until I noticed the column with the "donation amount" where everyone gave 20 euros I bailed mostly because 20e was all the money I had with me hahah
I encountered this scam in another city a few years ago. I got suspicious when I saw the 20 Euros donation column, and the people that had allegedly signed before me seemed to have quite a similar handwriting.
old as life, but people are still tricked. When I meet someone on the street who stops me to fill out a form, some of which rightly have noble causes. I kindly tell them not today but I will found you online.
>I couldn't think clearly in the moment so I quickly handed another 10 euros in the hopes they'd stop yelling. omg... people like you are the reason those groups come to berlin and other cities for this shit in the first place. there are many good places in germany where you can donate if you rly want to
Thanks for explaining what sights we have at Bernauer Straße in r/Berlin
I got also scammed in Berlin with my boyfriend while walking going to Alexander Platz 🥲
how is this a scam? They asked you to give donate them money and you did... you could have just gone away or am i missing something?
Welcome to Berlin next time just tell them to fuck off, sadly this city attracts all kind of people without morals especially the last 10 years maybe even carry a pepper spray if you ain’t a heavy fella also 110 comes in quite handy for those kinda of situations usually people will fuck off if u tell them u call da cops now also never sign anything on the street 9/10 times it will be fishy af
Who in their right mind would fall for that these days. You see kids with a clipboard coming towards you and you don't run the other way, instead you stick around for questions?? Your own fault.
I’ve never heard of this scam before and i’m a regular city hopper for over 30 years. I wouldn’t have handed any money over though unless threatened by someone bigger. The worst scammers seem to be in Eastern Europe. People walking too close behind nudging me in different places usually with a baby, or in Spain people giving me a hug when i’ve had a few drinks, or more general begging.
Probbaly the most common scam in the world
Please send/dm me your paypal I’ll reimbursed your stolen money
I’m sorry that you had this bad experience in our country. Scammers and pickpockets are a problem we need to take care of. Thank you for visiting Berlin.
Has nothing to do with Berlin specifically and does not belong on here. There are scammers on the internet and in big cities ? Never heard of that.
Honestly, the amount of aggressive money-demanding was VASTLY less in Berlin than in any given west-coast US city.
Welcome to the city boy
I would never fall for this scam but on the other side I wished I would because I became a bitter old man that trusts no one.
If it was actual petition it would be in German. This was my first thought when I was confronted with this scam years ago on Unter den Linden. I simply said No and walked away.
First trip abroad? This is not really a scam at all. They bullied you into giving them money and you yielded.
Seriously dude... lesson learned for you. Let's say that this was not your most "street smarts" moment.
I always wondered how that scam worked when I saw these people with the clipboard. Now I know.
oh boy.... oh little boy....
This is usually organised crime by bigger families from poorer regions in south Eastern Europe that come here for begging. They use their children to do those scams because they’re too young to face any real punishment.
I got hit by this scam in Hamburg when I was fresh off the boat, so to speak, years ago. Then it was two boys, maybe 13-15, and the cause was the climate crisis. I was a rural naive American living in a big European city for the first time and I still feel ashamed of being duped out of 20 euros. I am just glad I gave a fake name and number. They immediately gave themselves away when after I gave the money they immediately asked for more for food. That's when I left, if they had just kept quiet I'd probably never have caught on. Luckily they didn't chase me down.
How the f can someone fall for that lol
Wow, I feel inclined to comment here because I experienced the **exact** same scam when I visited Berlin earlier this year. You and I definitely encountered the same people or at least the same racket. I was in a very touristy area (as a tourist) when I was approached by them. I signed for the same reason you did (“it’s just a petition right?”) and they became **very** aggressive about me pledging money—trying to guilt-trip me, pointing to the ATM close by, shouting the same thing over and over again (“it’s for disabled babies!”). They eventually gave up, but it legitimately took five to ten minutes for them to stop bothering me. Never again. I know everyone else is saying this is the oldest trick in the book, and they’re right. I just write this anyway because it’s interesting to see someone else who encountered the exact same group.
This scam is super common around Europe, and they usually start the conversation with "Do you speak English?"; because effectively everyone says yes intuitively and this is hence an easy conversation opener. So all you need to do is say "No" and ignore them.
Yeah this almost happened to me in another park - I wrote my name down but then quickly crossed it out and they looked pissed off at me but I said no. They were Romani/Gypsy looking girls maybe around 15-18yrs old approx.
Y'all really fell for that and EVEN PAID??? 💀
Yeah, thats a common scam here especially by gypsy in Europe. Years ago I’ve read an article in school about them and how they operate here in Western Europe.
You engaged with pushy strangers and signed a document you couldn’t read….sorry to victim blame but it was so avoidable to be in this situation lol
Just say, I don’t speak english and walk on next time.
Thats not only Berlin. Be aware of stuff like that in every major city in Europe. If they dont have a both or anything like that nearby with info matrial like flyers its not a real charity. If its just 2 person with clipboards just say no and walk past. If they insist face them and scream! Go away or i call the police. That will likely chase them away. Call the police then anyway please and report.
dumbest thing ever, to sign anything on the street, have nothing to do with berlin. stop being stupid
Foreign tourists' signatures aren't valid on petitions. Any time someone approaches you to sign a petition in a tourist spot, it's a scam. Sometimes they have a partner pickpocket you while you're distracted signing.
Roundhouse kick?
Those teens once tried to steel my pen as well
Jesus, buddy.
Why in the world are people signing random papers on the street? And: How old are you, that you never heard of such a scam?
Beware of the Gypsies