Let me start this post by saying that I feel perfectly safe when I'm "out and about" in Paris on my own. As in any large city, however, there are precautions that one should take and certain things that it helps to know. So, just in case you haven't heard about the bracelet scam guys near the Sacré Coeur funicular, here's what I learned from observing them in action.
After strolling around Montmartre, Stéphane and I decided to take a different route to go back to the Abbesses metro stop. Having heard that the bracelet scam guys supposedly operate at the foot of the steps near the funicular but never having seen them in action, I asked Stéphane to slow down to see if there was any truth to what I had been hearing. Nope, no suspicious looking people -- just some guys leaning against the trees with their hands in their pockets and a few other men selling Eiffel Towers made out of wire to tourists. Hmmm, maybe the bracelet guys were just an urban legend after all. But when one of the men under the tree saw me looking at him with a quizzical expression, he approached, greeted me in a friendly manner, and asked my nationality. Meanwhile, his hands, which up until that point had been in his pockets, became a flurry of movement while he reached for my wrist. Seeing the string dangling from his hands, I knew that we had found one of the bracelet guys. When we insisted that we weren't interested, he reluctantly left with a parting piece of advice to smile and be happy.
Asking for ten minutes to conduct some sociological research, I was able to convince Stéphane to let me observe the bracelet guys while they selected their targets. Not surprisingly, they rejected everyone who walked with an air of purpose and who had a "don't mess with me" attitude. They zoomed in on single women, small groups of young women, and young couples. I did not see them approach any men.
How does the scam work? While distracting you with a constant stream of friendly chatter, they quickly weave strings around your fingers and wrist and then brazenly demand payment for the friendship bracelet.
While reviewing the photos for this post, I was struck by the smiles on the young women's faces. As a 47 year old woman, who has become more savvy with age, it occurred to me that I would have been just as trusting on my first trip to Europe. The young women's facial expressions in the last photo is particularly telling. For when the man's demeanor changed and he demanded money for the bracelet, they realized that they had misunderstood his intentions, which is an unwelcome feeling any time but even more so when you're in a foreign city.
And just in case you're wondering about the ethics of me taking pictures while the bracelet guy pulled his scam on the young women, it actually worked in their favor because he let them go without paying as soon as his friend warned him that I was taking photographs.
I've not seen this myself, as I usually approach Sacre Coeur from the steps on the other side. It reminds me of the shoe shine boys of Istanbul who ask to shine your shoes. Keep on walking. But if you don't stop for them, at one time or the other, they will start walking in front of you and drop a shoe brush which they know you will stop and pick up and return to them. Then they just start shining your shoes, no questions asked. My friend did this and then they asked for money, I couldn't say it was really a demand for money. He had a small coin and gave it to the guy, and said, that's all you get, take it or leave it. The guy took it and moved along. I could just never.
ReplyDeleteAnd brave of you to photograph it.
Joseph
As a middleaged solo woman traveller I find "walking with purpose" has helped me avoid most scam type encounters. I don't stop and talk to strangers at home, so I don't do it in a foriegn city either.
ReplyDeleteWhen I did SC I walked up the stairs with purpose and didn't slow down,, a few young men did call out to me, but I just kept up my pace and eyes forward and really had no problems.
Great investigative journalism! After reading all the alarmist threads on tripadvisor forums warning about the bracelet guys it is nice to know that they really aren't that much of a bother if you are walking with a purpose.
ReplyDeleteJoseph, I usually take a completely different route and approach Sacre Coeur from the back through Montmartre. It's my preferred way to go and the added bonus is that I've always been able to avoid the bracelet guys. I'll have to try the other steps that you mentioned the next time that I'm there.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, Good for you for keeping your head down and ignoring them! It seems to be the best way to avoid their unwanted attention.
Zona, Thanks for your comment! :-) From what I saw, different people are going to have very different experiences with the bracelet guys. A man may not even know that they're there because he isn't one of their preferred targets, while a young woman, who isn't used to dealing with such situations, may have a very different experience. Knowing that young women will have a more difficult time getting rid of them, I'm going to make sure that all of our visitors who are that age are forewarned.
I was targeted on several occassions being a woman on my own but never allowed them to touch me. Quite annoyed I said "bugger-off' and walked on. A while later when inside a shop buying a gift I asked the proprieter why the police allow these men to hassle tourists and what was the purpose of the 'bracelet'.
ReplyDeleteHe replied that the weaving of the cotton/wool thread around your wrists or fingers is a kind of voodoo good luck spell and that after casting it in the bracelet ritual they of course demand and expect payment!
Jorgina
Jorgina,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you said the magic words, "bugger off!". Interestingly enough, when I put a link to this post on the TripAdvisor forum, one of the posters recognized the man in the photos from an encounter with him in 2008. It just goes to show that they must make a fairly good living from hassling tourists.
Thanks for commenting about your experience with them. I hope that people will follow your lead and not let them touch their arms or intimidate them.
So, this is why Eli said running into them wasn't a good experience. Poor boy.
ReplyDeleteThis is not limited to women. We were of the "young couple" description here, and I can tell you that being demonstrative as a young man can be both dangerous and liberating. I started saying "non" to one who approached me, and as he reached toward my arm (I, at this point, did not know this was a "bracelet" scam- my arm was safely around our bag with our belongings) I aggressively stepped away and warned him to step back. This is where things got particularly dicey; he called me a MF'er, and poked my shoulders many times. Seeing that I was completely surrounded by these men, I disregarded the fact that I could've easily handled this guy, and instead politely asked him to leave us alone. This, for some reason, prompted him to leave us be, and we took a side-way down, through throngs of other conspicuous individuals. My wife was very upset that I was so "aggressive" in my rebuttal, but I felt there was no other option. Had I kept my head down, I felt as though more would surround us and a further problem would ensue. Worse yet, neither the view nor the church itself were worth this hassle. Very unfortunate, and a poor reflection on the city of Paris.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, if you're cornered by "deaf/mute" pre-teens asking for donations, please take a moment to notice that they are ALL of the same ethnicity, one that happens to be associated with gypsies, and if you take a moment to notice, they are all speaking with one another when not scouting their "marks".
This same thing happened to my wife and I tonight -- but we knew it was a scam from the start so we just tried to pass them. They actually got aggressive with us and pushed me with his grip on my wrist and the other guy actually hurt my wife's hand.
ReplyDeleteI was walking up the first batch of stairs and a few African men stopped me. I read about not letting these men tie a string around your fingers at Wikitravel but didn't catch what the scam in detail was about. Anyway, I said no brazenly and continued walking, the con-artists told me not to be afraid of them. I thought my husband was trailing close behind me when the same con-artist told me to look behind- my husband had no trouble with them tying a string around his finger so I shouldn't too ! My husband was several meters behind with a string already tied around his finger. His way was blocked by 4 "friendly" men. I shouted across the stairs but he didn't hear me so I hurriedly walked down towards them. Before I reached them, the group of men scattered and left my husband in peace. I think they left my husband alone because I was adamant on not letting them scam us. They weren't aggressive, in fact they were friendly and that is the confusing part. All these while they put on a smile.....until they start demanding for money.
ReplyDelete