Tag Archives: safety

You need to be vigilant about your safety and security even in top hotels and resorts. While most properties do have security programs in place to protect their guests, you still need to know how to protect yourself and your family in case of an emergency as well as when just undergoing ordinary activities such as staying in and leaving your room. These are the top hotel safety tips that frequent travelers and experts agree on. These safety rules are simple and easy to follow. If you’re traveling with children share the rules with them and make sure they practice them too.

Upon Checking In

  1. Request a room that’s not on the ground floor. Security experts agree that staying between the third and sixth floors – where rooms are high enough to avoid easy break-ins and are low enough to be reached by fire engine ladders in the event of an emergency is ideal. Be sure to also make your room location preference known at the time of booking and when confirming the reservation.

 Entering and Leaving Your  Hotel Room

  1.  Don’t keep your room key in the key folder handed to you at the front desk upon check-in. The room key folder typically has your room number written on it.  If you accidentally lose or leave your key folder with the key in it, then anyone finding it can access your room. Our advice is to only take the key with you and leave the folder behind in the room.
  2. If you’re going to leave your room and don’t need housekeeping to come in then turn on the TV and hang the do not disturb sign on the outside of your door on your way out.  Now you’ve left the impression that someone is in the room who doesn’t want to be disturbed. This decreases the chance that a stranger would try to enter it.
  3. Your mother told you, and she’s right, never open the door to a stranger, especially if they claim to be a member of the hotel staff, and you’re not expecting them. Ask them to wait and call the front desk if they sent someone up and then verify their identity.
  4.  To keep hotel staff or anyone with a pass key or code from entering your room while you are in it pack and use a Door Jammer as a secondary lock. The Door Jammer is not only a travel security item but a handy security item for home, office, and dorms too.

The Portable Door Lock is also a great option. It works on inward swinging doors like those of a hotel.

5. Read the evacuation plan and make sure everyone in your room knows it and knows where you all would meet        up in the event of an emergency.

Internet Security

  1.  Once you’ve entered your room, you might feel a bit safer than in the lobby or a public place in the resort or hotel. That sense of safety translates to internet safety too. Yet your internet may not be any more secure than in an airport or coffee shop. In reality, you’re still using a public Wi-Fi hotspot. When connecting to the hotel Wi-Fi tell your computer that you’re connecting to a public network. The objective is to set your computer firewall to its maximum. Your best option is to use a wired internet connection instead of Wi-Fi. Never access banking or other personal websites from a public network.

Valuables in Your Hotel Room

Protect your valuables by using the hotel safe. Increase the security of the hotel safe by using a separate and additional safe lock with it.

Two reasons for the additional lock:

  1. A little-known fact, but many hotels do not accept liability for items left in a guest room safe, the an additional external lock increases the security of the safe.
  2. The mere presence of an additional lock should deter a thief from attempting a break-in of your safe and to move on to a room safe without an additional layer of security in place.

Final Thought on Resort and Hotel Safety Advice

Follow these six tips to enhance your safety and peace of mind while on vacation. make sure to share this advice with those you’re traveling with too.

 

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Travel Essentials  – How to Pack Peace of Mind

It’s exhilarating to see new places and experience new cultures. While you’re focused on enjoying the people, food, sights, and even ordinary street life be sure to always be aware of your surroundings. Being aware means making a mental picture of the street names, if you’re exploring the city. Being aware on public transportation means not keeping your gaze on your phone, but looking at the other riders and keeping your bag in front of you to discourage pickpockets. And perhaps the best advice is to make sure you have a confident and strong demeanor. One way to boost your personal confidence is to take steps to protect yourself even before you pack your bag.

Security and Safety on the Go

A few small gadgets can help keep you safe and give you peace of mind.

Location: Hotel, hostel, dorm
You don’t know who has a passkey to the room, or if the key is an old style metal key, who has a copy of it. Would you want an uninvited visitor to come into the room while showering or sleeping? You can have peace of mind that the door will remain locked while you’re inside by traveling with a device that prevents your door from opening even with a key. It’s low cost too.

Location: Walking alone, or anywhere you may need to call attention to your situation
As the saying goes an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And so it is with your safety. A personal safety alarm is useful in many situations if you have a medical emergency and can’t scream if you want to just scare off someone before they get too close or is making you uncomfortable, or if you need to draw attention to your situation. Another option is an alarm app for your phone.

Location: Crowds, public places 
The security of your identity is as important as your personal safety. Your personal information is stored on tiny chips embedded in credit cards, passports and even ID card such as drivers licenses.  You need to shield your cards and passport from e-thieves who with the help of a hand-held device can read your information stored on the chips as they stand next to you or walk past you in a crowd. The scanners can work up to a distance of 10 feet away!  The solution is carrying your cards and passport in RFID shielding, sleeves, wallets or bags.

Some Bonus Tips

Whether you’re packing, going out for a day of sightseeing, or going out at night, you will want to keep it light.  Our advice, plan ahead on what you will carry in your bag and on your person. A few moments of planning before you go are worth it, take it from a woman who has over packed.  Your top two concerns should be function and security. We have a few finds or must have travel essentials that help you keep your valuables secure and your hand free.

Packing Light  – Packing Strategies

Seasoned travelers advise they maximize the space in their bags with packing organizers. There are different styles for different needs. Our favorite type of packers are Compression Packers to reduce wrinkling in your bag to maximize space with their compression technology. Waterproof styles help separate dirty and sweaty clothes from clean and keep toiletries in your checked bag from leaking.

  • Select Clothes Which Layer and Mix and Match – Wear layers, short-sleeved shirts can go under long sleeve ones. A long scarf is decorative and can double as an evening wrap. Jeans or khakis go from day to night with the change of an athletic to a dress shoe or sandal.
  • Choose Knits, Wool, and Cotton Blends – These fabrics tend to resist wrinkles and are versatile and stick to a few colors which mix and match.
  • Roll Softer Garments and Fold Stiffer Ones – Underwear, T-shirts, jeans, cotton pants, and knitwear won’t wrinkle when rolled tightly. Stiffer fabrics, such as starched cotton shirts, blazers, dressy pants, and skirts, should be carefully folded.
  • Place Rolled Items in the Bottom of the Bag – Think of your suitcase as a three-layer cake. The suitcase is the icing; the rolled items make up the first layer.
  • Place Folded Garments Next – For your middle layer, start with the longest items, like skirts and slacks. Stack the garments on top of each other, alternating waists with hems. Position the pile flush with the suitcase, draping leftover fabric over the opposite end. (This conserves space since thick waistbands won’t be piled on top of one another.) Wrap the draping ends of the pile into the center. Next, lay collars of shorter items, like shirts, at the hinge with the ends over the handles. Fold the collars and ends over once and fold the arms in.
  • Cover the Pile with a Dry-Cleaning Bag – Because of the bag’s slippery surface; folded clothes don’t stay in one place long enough for creases to set. Easy upgrade: Place a bag between each layer of clothing. To get to a certain layer easily, simply pull the ends of the bag up on either side.
  • Wash Your Clothes on the Road – Vacation rentals often have laundry facilities, however, if you’re staying in a hotel, or taking a cruise wash clothes in a sink and hang them to dry, a blow dryer or iron can help get rid of any lingering dampness. Pack laundry soap sheets and a portable laundry-drying line. Carry a stain stick in your bag to remove stains right when they happen.

Sight-Seeing Essentials

Keep your hands free to snap photos or to read guidebooks. Sure you’ll look like a tourist, but then again you are a tourist.  Local thieves who prey on tourists know that the best time to zip open your backpack or bag is when you’re distracted. The distraction can be real or staged by one of their accomplices, either way, your focus is momentarily not on your gear, and that is when they strike.

Guard against being a victim by selecting an anti-theft bag and wearing it cross-body style. If you must travel with a bag that is not anti-theft, then use a body pouch to protect your valuables such as your passport, money and credit cards.

Electonic pickpocketing RFID pickpockets, digital thieves, rfid blocking wallets

 

You may think of a pickpocket as a person that bumps into you to steal your wallet, but now there’s a different kind of pickpocketing and it’s called electronic pickpocketing. How do RFID pickpockets work, and why can they be so devastating?  Tech-savvy RFID pickpockets, which are also known as “digital thieves,” can silently download your personal credit card information and ID data with handheld “skimming” devices, including some newer cell phones, that are simply held close to your wallet or purse.

Yes, your information on the RFID chip transmits through a wallet or purse.  Why is this possible? It’s possible because many of the newly issued credit cards, driver’s licenses and all passports now have embedded RFID chips.

Do RFID Wallets Stop Electronic Pickpocketing

RFID chips send out electromagnetic signals with all the information stored on the card for electronic readers to capture.  In the case of your passport, they can even broadcast your photo. RFID technology is a good thing, but in the hands of RFID pickpockets, it can be devastating. So how do you protect yourself from electronic RFID pickpockets who use electronic readers?  You need to use RFID blocking wallets, purses, or other RFID blocking gear. These items have metal fibers woven inside of them to block the RFID transmissions. You could also wrap your cards in foil to stop transmission. So yes, RFID blocking wallets can protect your identity from falling into the hands of thieves, crooks, and scam artists.

Protect Your Identity & Personal Information with RFID Blocking Gear

The latest travel wallets, purses, backpacks and other gear, have RFID shielding built into the material of the product for your security and peace of mind.  Wallets, bags, and backpacks that contain this RFID blocking material look like ordinary wallets and purses, except depending on their design, the product may entirely have RFID shielding,  or may just have dedicated pockets to RFID shielding. It is in these RFID blocking pockets where you would place your wallet or other digital ID. You are most vulnerable to pickpockets, both regular and electronic, in crowded situations or in places where you place your things down like hanging your bag on the back of a chair in a restaurant. The results of being electronically pickpocketed can be devastating, so consider outsmarting the bad guys with RFID blocking gear. For your peace of mind, see an extensive collection of RFID blocking travel gear.

RFID blocking money belt, stop electronic pickpocketing

RFID blocking money belt. Hidden under your shirt it’s easy for you to access, but not thieves.

What is RFID and Why Do I Need to Block it?

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification Devices. Today they are found in passports and credit cards to help speed up transactions. They transmit your account information plus personal details.  Handheld scanners can read these chips through wallets and clothing up to several feet away.  It is a form of electronically pickpocketing or identity theft.  Newly issued credit cards, passports, and other IDs have embedded RFID chips.

Do RFID Wallets and other RFID blocking bags stop pickpockets?  Yes, You can protect your personal data with the use of RFID blocking wallets and RFID blocking passport covers. These items contain a metal fiber mesh that makes a “cage” around the chip that radio waves cannot penetrate. All US Passports issued since October 2006 have RFID chips in them. The chip contains all the data that is on the first page including your photo. A growing number of states (New York, Michigan, Washington, Vermont) are now issuing special driver’s licenses “enhanced” with long-range RFID chips.

How Does RFID Work?

RFID, Radio Frequency Identification, is the technology that lets you simply wave your credit or identification card, passport or license in front of a nearby scanner instead of having to slide the magnetic stripe through it. The electronic scanner sends a signal which is received by an antenna embedded into the card, which is connected to the card’s RFID chip, thus activating it. Unfortunately, criminals with minimal technical skills can construct their own clandestine RFID readers with a few simple supplies. These devices can steal your private financial information quickly and silently—all the perpetrator needs to do is come near your wallet with the hidden card reader.

Electronic pickpocketing RFID Pickpockets can read rfid chipped credit cards

Credit cards have RFID chips

Does my Card Have an RFID Chip?

This is the important part if your card is equipped with PayWave or blink, indicated by a logo on the front or back of the card, then it has an RFID chip embedded in it. The absence of a PayPass logo, however, does not mean that your card does not have an RFID chip—call the customer service number on the back of your card. If you cannot get an answer from your bank you should protect your cards anyway to ensure that you do not fall victim to identity theft.  Imagine how the theft of your identity while traveling could negatively impact your trip! You should be concerned if you carry an American Express Card, Visa, Discover, MasterCard or a passport.

Here’s the best and latest selection of RFID blocking wallets and gear to stop electronic pickpocketing.

Video Demonstration of RFID Pickpockets

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How to Avoid Pickpockets While Traveling electronic pickpocketing

How Safe Are Hotel Room Safes_

Most likely you’ve seen and probably exchanged money at a currency exchange booth while traveling. Unfortunately, scams that shortchange travelers using money-changing services seem to be on the increase. From the moment you step off the airplane at an airport and walk down to baggage claim, as well as around any popular tourist destination, you’ll see money-changing booths. The following are the top tips to keep in mind if you think you may need to exchange currency at one of these booths.

Avoid Money Exchange Scams

In North American, European countries, and Australia, currency exchange businesses are licensed. In other countries as anyone can Money Changing Scamsset themselves up as a currency exchange business.

To start off with, let’s take it for granted that you’re aware that “generally speaking” most money exchange booths don’t give the best exchange rate and that typically the best places to exchange money are at a bank or a recognized brand-name exchange bureau.

The Best Places to Exchange Dollars for Local Money

1) ATMs usually give better rates than exchanging cash at an exchange kiosk. If you can use ATMs.  More and more travelers use ATMs as much as possible, keeping spare cash for emergencies or times when you just need a small about of local currency.

2) Hotels are usually safe locations too, but their exchange rates are often poor. Many credit cards offer a better exchange rate than an exchange booth, so if yours does use it to purchase, and your purchase will be protected too.

3) Banks tend to have slightly higher rates as but they are safe locations and will not cheat you. So for safety and assurance, you may end up paying a slightly higher exchange at a bank.

3) Advice; if you must use a currency exchange booth. Keep in mind that any currency exchange businesses with a sign that says “Exchange! Cambio! Wechsel! Change!” are exchange booths, and all of them—from internationally well-known currency exchange offices, all the way down to the shady guy who hangs around the bus station—offer a worse rate and/or higher commission than banks and should only be used in emergencies.

4) Use authorized money changers only, not those down back alleys offering a better rate. Be careful of shops that claim to be ‘official exchange shops’ via a sign. Don’t necessarily believe those signs! Check out the shop to determine if it really is an official shop or not. Official exchange shops are located on major streets, in shopping malls, stations, and airports. They also usually look ‘official’ – clean and modern with a list of exchange rates displayed on the wall or even a digital signboard. These types of exchange services, could use counterfeit money, try to run a quick-change scam on you, or charge an absorbent unpublished fee.

5) What about the condition of the money I’m going to try to exchange – does it matter? Some countries or currency exchange booths only accept bills that are in excellent condition- no rips, taping, holes, or ink. Be sure to get new clean bills from a bank in your home country before leaving on your trip.

Be Careful of Counterfeit Money When Traveling Abroad

Being passed counterfeit currency in another country is a scam that you may not even realize you fell victim to, largely because you’re unfamiliar with the currency.

Can I Have a Local Coin For my Collection?

This is a scam that occurs in Nepal and India. Watch the below video where you will see and hear locals trying to get you to part with small change “for their collection” but in reality, it is just another way to rip you off as they exchange it for the local currency they can use.

Philippines (or worldwide) Money Exchange Tips
This is a great compilation of tips and scams that you might come up against when changing money in the Philippines, as well as anywhere in the world for that matter.

To avoid being scammed or cheated when it comes to a local currency the best option is to pay with a credit card that charges no fees for transactions in a foreign currency as much as you can.  Before you leave check with your credit card issuer if they charge any fees. If they do, get a credit card with travel benefits as they typically don’t. However, you will need some small amount of local cash to pay street vendors and anyone or at any place that does not accept credit cards. Exchange your money only at safe and credible locations such a hotel or bank, or use an ATM to avoid money exchange scams.

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These safety tips for women are for dangerous situations that could potentially be life-threatening. It’s rare to find women’s self-defense tips for real-life, dangerous situations. We spoke with a female police officer about the things she’s learned on the job to help keep women safe. From years of reviewing hundreds and hundreds of criminal cases, these are the precautions she recommends women can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim.

Safety tips for women

Safety Tips for Women

1. NEVER get into an attacker’s car if he pulls a gun and orders you to get into his vehicle. Most attackers don’t want to shoot you: they want you to get into the car so that they can drive you to a deserted place and do God-knows-what-else. Do not comply, and instead run away screaming. It is MUCH more likely than not that he will just move on to an easier target.

2. While driving, NEVER pull over if someone driving alongside you points at your car pretending something is wrong. If this happens, drive to the nearest well-lit and populated gas station and look the car over yourself (or ask an attendant). Believe it or not, many women have fallen for this for fear of their car spontaneously exploding in the middle of the road. Not likely.

3. ALWAYS lock your car doors while driving. I have read several cases where an attacker simply walks up to a woman’s car while she’s at a traffic light and jumps in with his gun or knife drawn.  If you use Lyft, Uber or other rideshare arrangements the safety rules are quite different.

safety tips for women

4. When having your car serviced, only give the attendant your car keys and detach the keys to your home. They have key duplicators readily available and generally, have your address on file.

5. STAY ALERT in parking lots. If you go to the grocery store at night, don’t be shy about asking for an escort to your car. Too many women are abducted from or even raped in parking lots. Be aware of your surroundings by looking to the left and right and behind you with your head up all the time. You may appear paranoid and look funny to others, but an attacker will think twice about approaching someone who appears so aware of what’s going on. Cars provide endless hiding places for attackers, both inside them and in between them. In addition, always look in your back seat before entering your car.

Safety tips for women

6. Just because a stranger may look innocent and clean-cut, doesn’t mean you should trust them. In my work, I see mug shots of attackers and sex offenders and – trust me – they do not look like monsters. They often look like they could be your friendly neighborhood guy. They are every age between 15 and 90, and probably beyond. Only a small minority actually look scary. I just read a case yesterday of a man with only one leg who beat up his victim with his crutch before he raped her. Who would have ever thought that a one-legged man would be a rapist?

7. Child molesters often end up being the last person parents would suspect of wrongdoing. In most child molestation cases I see, the perpetrator is someone close to home: the stepfather, uncle, sister’s or mother’s boyfriend, grandfather, babysitter, neighbor, a family friend, youth camp director, or daycare worker, etc. Although rare, even women can be molesters. In every case, the perpetrator seems to be a “nice guy:” trusting and good with children, without signs of suspicion. Families are often baffled or in disbelief that the person could be abusing their child. When it comes to your children and grandchildren, be suspicious of everyone, no matter who they are. And pay attention to what your child says and how he/she reacts to the mention of different people in their lives.

Women's Safety tips from a cop

8. NEVER open your front door without positively identifying who is there. If you don’t have a peephole, get one. I’ve seen countless cases where attackers gain access to victims simply by knocking on their doors. Don’t let an attacker get into your home. He then has a private, relatively soundproof place to attack you. Prevent strangers from entering your home. Consider adding an extra layer of protection with a Portable Door Lock. A portable door lock should also be one of the first things a woman packs for travel. Keep an extra one in your travel bag or in your cosmetic bag so you don’t forget to pack it.
New Portable Door Lock safety tips for women

Share these safety tips for women with the women in your life, because it’s best to be as prepared as possible. 

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Tips and Tools to Keep Your Purse Secure While You Dine

Anti-theft Daypack

Daypack with anti theft features including lock down strap

Purse with full suite of anti-theft features

Purse with full suite of anti-theft features

 

Thieves often prey on unsuspecting diners, especially tourists, while they are enjoying a meal in a restaurant. Watch these videos that capture thieves who seem to be restaurant patrons help themselves to more than just a meal. Having your purse or daypack stolen while traveling overseas can devastate your trip and cause a huge inconvenience – especially when you factor in trying to replace your credit cards, passports, and any other important documents and cash that might be inside the bag.

See what not to do with your purse or pack by watching the following videos.  Advice: do not leave your bag draped over the back of your chair or simply placed on the floor next to you. Never leave small valuables on top of the table. In a blink of an eye, you can be distracted and your item was stolen. Use

a bag with an anti-theft strap to keep it secured to your chair. Keep scrolling down to read more.

 

 

Strap un hooks from bag

Strap unhooks from bag to wrap it around a fixed object and back onto the bag.

Thieves who steal purses in restaurants are most successful when they blend into the atmosphere at the restaurant. Most always the thieves sit down at a table next to the victim and pretend like they are at the restaurant to eat like everyone else.  Couple that with victims who pay little attention to their handbags because they are deeply involved in the dining and socializing process and you have a recipe for successful theft.

Advice: To dine with peace of mind your purse or travel handbag can never be out of your view or unattached from your body or your chair. Wear your bag cross-body style even while sitting. For more personal comfort attach your bag to the chair to foil bag snatchers. Newer style travel bags have anti-theft features such as snatch-proof purse straps and locking zippers to keep pickpockets out. With these bags, you simply detach one end of the strap and loop it through the back of your chair or other fixed item and then attach the strap back onto the bag. Now your bag is snatch-proof and you can enjoy your meal, worry-free.

 

You know not to leave your valuables out in plain view when you leave your hotel room and to use the hotel room safe to secure them. Thefts of valuables from hotel room safes, while not rampant, are a real problem, even in the best of hotels. Read on to see how to open a hotel room safe quickly.

Master keys, master key cards, and override codes in the wrong hands make it easy to open a hotel safe. Most new safes come with an override code of 0000 or 9999. When safes get installed in a hotel room it is the responsibility of the hotel to change the override code that the safe came with. Thieves and dishonest hotel employees that have access to your room can use the code to access your safe. Typically one of a few codes, like 0000 or something similar, will open the safe.  Learn what you can do to not be a victim of hotel room safe theft.

How Does Hotel Room Safe Theft Happen?

Theft from hotel in-room safes is not an everyday occurrence, but it does happen. Hotel guests do forget their safe codes or safe electronics may malfunction. Therefore, the hotel staff has to have some way to open a hotel room safe. Hotels all have a special “electronic backdoor” that allows them to use a special digital code, key, or electronic device to open the safe if needed. So you are truly not the only one with access to your safe. This short video offers a quick overview and shows how to open a hotel room safe.

Multiple Ways Hotel Staff Can Open a Hotel Room Safe, A Clear Explanation

Video – See How Easy it is to Unlock a Hotel Room Safe with Simple Tools

The below video shows that the metal nameplate on one brand of common hotel room safes can be easily removed revealing a backup keyhole underneath. Using nothing more than a simple pocket tool and a short length of wire, the safe can be easily opened. The interesting part is when the safe door is then closed, it automatically locks itself again like nothing’s happened. So when a traveler returns to their hotel room they’ll see the safe door is closed and assume it’s locked and secure.

Solution Use a Hotel Room Safe Lock or A Personal Portable Safe to Safeguard Your Valuables

A secondary lock, the Milockie, is a visual deterrent in addition to blocking the opening of the safe door even if a passcode or key is used. The Milockie prevents the hotel safe door from swinging open even if the safe is unlocked and is kept in place with a padlock that only you know the code to.

Alternative security solutions include bringing your own portable safe. Available in different sizes a portable travel safe is highly effective. Most thieves are opportunistic. To breach a portable safe a thief needs a large wire cutting/bolt cutting tool that most hotel employees or others don’t have on their person.

Typically a portable travel safe folds flat so that you can pack it in your luggage for use at your destination. Most safes are made of puncture or cut-proof fabric and cinch closed with a steel cable. Some portable safe have wire mesh reinforced sides. It is these features that make breaching the portable safes extremely difficult.

An additional benefit of a portable safe is that you can use it outside of your hotel room too. They work in rental cars, attached to pool chairs, bikes, or even at home.

Most Common Types of Hotel Room Safes

Electronic Keypad Room Safe

This type of safe is commonly found in mainstream hotels and resorts and in many ways is the one that MAY have the least amount of thefts from it. That’s because it requires a handheld computer device to open the safe. These safes require the attachment of a handheld PDA, with either an infra-red USB or cable. The units store up to 50 entries, incorrect PIN entry, and it’s all-time and date stamped. These can be attached to a PC, where audit reports can be printed for police and insurance purposes. These units DO NOT have a hotel override, it reveals the guest PIN.

Electronic Keypad Safe With Keypad Override Access

These types of hotel room safes require the use of an override *sequence*, not just a PIN number. This type of safe is almost as good as the one previously mentioned, as it contains a removable chip, which can access all the same data as above.

Electronic Keypad Access With Manual Safety Key

These room safes are not as secure as the previous two. This style requires the moving of the safe to enter a key and entering an override code. They record the time and date of the override entry, but nothing else. Refer below as to who *should* hold the spare key.

Manual Key Safe With Safety Key Access

This is a very old room safe model and is becoming rarer as time passes as hotels remodel and replace them with newer electronic versions. Yes, they do have spare keys, but reputable hotels don’t keep them accessible – even to management. It’s often kept in a fire-safe with either the general cashier or hotel management – we would hope – but many times who knows where this key is and who has access to it?

Where Do Hotel Room Safe Thefts Occur?

Thefts from hotel safes usually involve dishonest hotel employees, and these types of thefts seem to have a higher rate of being reported in hotels outside the United States. To read some of these hotel in-room safe theft stories reported by travelers, click on this TripAdvisor link. 

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Beware of the Lost-Found Gold Ring Scam

The “lost ring” scam is one of the oldest and most famous of the tourist scams in Paris, France and has now spread all across Europe where many tourists gather. There are several versions of this scam and its delivery is dependent on the scam artist or thief presenting the scam. One common thread is that always the story told by the con artist ends in asking for a few Euros in exchange for you keeping the gold ring.

How the Con Works

In essence, the “lost ring” or “found ring” scam, is based on the simple act of duping the target to believe that this is their lucky day. The scam can be targeted to anyone, but almost always a traveler. The scammer walks up next to you and quickly bends down and picks up a ring on the ground (that they placed prior to walking over it.) The ring is often a gold men’s wedding band.

The scammer (often a woman) then offers to give you the ring but asks for a small amount of money in exchange for doing so. She pleads that she has no money or job and would appreciate a few Euros in trade for the gold ring.

Another “reason” to give you the band is that she has no husband, or that her husband already wears a gold band and has no use for this one.

Some con-artists claim that it is against their religion to wear jewelry and that is why they want you to have it.

She continues on saying that the ring is worth a lot of money and it is your lucky day because she only wants a few euros in exchange for the ring. She pressures you into thinking that you are doing a kindness by giving her a few Euros. Laying on to her plea for a few Euros is that if she has a young child at her side making her look more honest or needy.

In reality, the ring is worthless and made of cheap brass – but it looks like gold.

Variations of the “Lost Ring Scam”

Some victims of this scam have reported that the scammer begins to yell if you don’t give them a finders fee. Other variations have included a few accomplices who just “happen” to be walking by and verbally support the fact that the ring is valuable and you are very lucky to have found it.

The best course of action in these cases is to simply walk away and try not to engage them in a conversation.

Videos of the Famous Paris Found Gold Ring Scam

What to Do if  You’re a Target of This Street Scam

If you are approached by someone handing you a gold ring, the best thing to do is to walk away, and not engage with the scammer. Be prepared that they may yell at you and accuse you of stealing from them, even if you didn’t take the ring. Their motive is to get you to give them money so they will go away. Don’t cave in to their bullying and public shaming tactics. Remember they are the bad guy, not you.

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