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Paris police warn tourists about ‘petition’ scam

Paris police have issued a warning to tourists to beware of scams targeting visitors that involve false petitions and donation drives.

Published: 9 August 2022 15:26 CEST
Paris police warn tourists about 'petition' scam
Scammers often operate in busy tourist areas such as near the Eiffel Tower. Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

The police préfecture in Paris has released an announcement warning tourists about a scam that might be used to target them especially. 

The scam involves young boys and girls asking people to sign their petitions and requesting that they give a donation. In reality, many people – especially tourists or those unfamiliar with the local area – find themselves giving their money away to a false organisation.

In other cases, the petition acts as a distraction while pickpockets target the visitors.

Frequently, these scams involve the young people feigning deafness or the inability to speak, and pretending to collect funds on behalf of NGO for the hard of hearing. 

The scam is just one of a number that criminals use to prey on tourists, and visitors return to Paris after a two-year break, police are warning people to be vigilant – especially in tourist hotspots such as Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower area or in transport interchanges such as Gare du Nord.

READ MORE: Warning: 6 of the most common scams in France to watch out for

For more advice on how to stay safe in Paris as a tourist, you can read the police “Guide for Staying Safe in Paris“

Member comments

  1. I see them all the time, especially on Montmartre in front of la Basilique. I just wave them off and say something in French 😉 in an annoyed tone and they immediately go away.

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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

The Paris Metro and RER stations that will close during the Olympics

If you're in Paris over the summer you may need to adapt your travel plans, as some Metro and RER stations will close during the Games.

Published: 26 April 2024 16:55 CEST
The Paris Metro and RER stations that will close during the Olympics

Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nuñez on Friday unveiled security measures for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games – including public transport changes.

Opening ceremony

Most of the transport disruption is linked to the ambitious opening ceremony on July 26th – with closures starting in the days leading up to the ceremony and stations re-opening either after the ceremony ends on Friday night or on the following Saturday morning.

These closures affect the ‘protection perimeter’ or the enhanced security zone along the riverbanks that form the route of the opening ceremony.

“All Metro stations leading into the protection perimeter will be closed from July 18th”, Nuñez revealed in a press conference devoted to the police and military arrangements in place for the grand ceremony.

“If you set up a watertight perimeter, but allow people to take the Metro and go back up in the middle of this perimeter, it’s no longer watertight,” he added. 

READ ALSO How to check for Paris Olympics disruption in your area

With the exception of Saint-Michel on the RER C line, all Metro and RER stations within the anti-terrorist protection perimeter will be closed eight days before the event, during which time authorities will be clearing the river, until after the opening ceremony on the Seine.

The various closures will have no impact on the operation of the lines, which will continue to run, as the Paris Police Prefect emphasised, they just won’t stop at those particular stations.

The 15 stations that will be closed are:

  • Alma Marceau (line 9)
  • Champs-Élysées Clémenceau (lines 1 and 13)
  • Cité (4)
  • Concorde (1, 8, 12)
  • Iéna (9)
  • Javel (10)
  • Passy (6)
  • Quai de la Râpée (5)
  • Trocadéro (6, 9)
  • Tuileries (1)
  • Champs-Élysées Clémenceau (RER C)
  • Musée d’Orsay (RER C)
  • Pont de l’Alma (RER C)
  • Trains on Line 7 will pass under the Seine without passengers between Châtelet (including line 11), Pont Marie, Pont Neuf and Sully Morland stations.

Buses are also affected.

“On the day of the ceremony, no buses will be allowed to circulate within the perimeter,” the Préfecture de Police said.

Buses will still run, but vehicles will be rerouted to avoid the area.

Rest of the Games period

Once the ceremony is over, most services will return to normal.

However some stations will remain closed for the duration of the Games – mainly those that are located within or next to competition venues.

Concorde station will be closed to users of line 1 and 8 from June 17th to September 21st and line 12 from May 17th to September 21st, due to its proximity to the site dedicated to urban sports. 

READ ALSO Factcheck: Which areas will be closed in Paris during the Olympics?

Tuileries, served by line 1, will be closed from June 17th to September 21st.

Finally, on lines 1 and 13, Champs-Élysées-Clémenceau will be closed from July 1st to September 21st.

Tramway stations will also be affected by the closures.

Starting with Porte d’Issy (T2) and Porte de Versailles (T2, T3a) tram stations will be closed from July 25th to August 11th and from August 29th to September 7th.

The Colette Besson station on the T3b line will also be closed from July 27th to August 10th, and again from August 29th to September 8th.

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