Scamming in Barcelona, the Three Most Popular

For those of you out there who have ever been robbed, scammed or pick pocketed, you know what a horrible, humiliating and blood boiling thing it can be. There are so many of us that take care of our items as best we can but somehow, we still seem to be on the receiving end of pick pockets and scammers. For those of you who have never experienced the rage of being scammed, here’s a short guide to keep it that way and today I’m taking about scams in Barcelona. Staying away from the scamming areas are important, this means getting apartments in barcelona further away from Las Ramblas.

One of the biggest scams to watch out for is the "bird poo scam". This nasty little scam involved the scammer dropping a foul smelling liquid that looks like bird poo onto your jacket normally from above (either whilst you’re on an escalator or walking down some steps). He then point this out to you in order to alert you to the fact a bird has pooed on your clothes and lo and behold, the scammer has a big bunch of tissues at the ready to hand you. Do not accept them! Whilst you are busy wiping yourself down he, or his mate will take that moment to rob you for all your worth, so don’t be surprised if your camera, wallet and iPod have gone by the time your done.

Another prolific scam in Barcelona is "the three cup" scam. Unfortunately this takes place on La Rambla all day long but it is not worth trying to alert tourists who are already playing because the scammers can turn nasty and you shouldn’t risk your personal safety in these situations. This scam involves the use of three cups and a small ball. Avoid at all costs. This game involves two or three scammers working together, as well as scammers watching out for the police.

Perhaps the worst scam, (in my opinion) is "the map scam". This involves a group of tourists coming up to you in the street and asking for directions. They produce a map to show you roughly where they want to go and they hand it over to you, fully spread out. As you have a look at the map and try to show them where to go, some of them will either sneak behind you and open your bag, or put their hands in your bag underneath the map you are holding, so you have no idea that it’s going on. To avoid these types of scams, stay in apartments barcelona in secure districts such as Sant Antoni.