Dropped ring 💍 in Leicester Square, London. Is this part of a distraction theft?

[TenLittleToes]

I was walking in Leicester Sq, London and heard a tinkling sound of metal falling on the ground behind me. A few seconds later someone tapped me on the shoulder, holding up a gold ring asking whether it belonged to me. Knowing that the area was a hotspot for pickpockets, I felt that this was part of a distraction technique, with a view to pickpocketing. Has anyone else experienced such a situation before? Is this a known scam?

The reason for bringing this up, was when a relative was in Istanbul, Turkey, a shoe polisher dropped his brush in front of him. When he returned it, as an act of gratitude the local wanted to polish my relative’s shoes. Only to be charged an extortionate amount of money.

If you have any tales a scams, for tourists to be aware of, during the upcoming holidays, please do share your stories.

I remember being told that pickpockets like the 'keep hold of your valuables' posters as some people see them and immediately check they have their valuables. This alerts the pickpocket to their location.

There is a known scam in Paris where someone does this, then presses the ring on you as a 'gift', then aggressively demands money from you. Haven't heard of it happening in London but if it was going to happen anywhere, Leicester Square seems a likely place. Think you were right to exercise caution.

They drop it, ask if it's yours, and then insist you keep it while asking for loads of money because they're poor but they've been generous letting you have the ring.
Happened to me in Paris. I just said goodbye and walked off.

Yes that’s a scam. It was a gold bracelet they used with me. The jewellery is worthless in itself but after they give it to you, they then either ask for money in return or just plead for money.

The most common way I know is when they ask you to sign a petition of some sort. You see a sheet of paper with other names and signatures, but whilst you’re signing, they pickpocket.

Offering a free service, like a photo, etc and then demanding payment after.

At funfair, where they encourage you to take lots of turns to just get a prize for the child you’re with, or encourage the child to keep
going, and then charge you after.

Deliberate miscommunications over price.

Taking your money, pretending they have no change and giving it back to you, but having replaced it with a fake note in its place.

There are loads!

I'm wondering if what happened to me in Rome was a variant on this. A group of us were waiting to set off on a walking tour, busily fending off the touts, with a persistent one not leaving me alone despite a couple of 'no thank yous' to whatever he was offering me.

I was polite and friendly, as was he but then he seemed suddenly very keen to shake my hand, which I refused. He then wanted to know why I wouldn't shake his hand and became a bit more aggressive so I deliberately moved away from him, suspicious that if I did shake his hand, somehow he would then demand money from me, claiming that I'd agreed to buy something (unseen) from him?

I was less worried about pickpockets that day because, having gone out wearing a pocketless dress, had left everything in my room including my phone and only had a bank card and card for my hotel room, both of which were in my bra.

Yes v common in Europe

Wouldn't it be fun to say "thanks a million", pocket the ring and walk off?!!

I gave someone 2 euros in Pompeii, and she would not leave me alone, asking for 10 euros.

Since then, I haven't given anyone anything. I had waited a long time to go to Pompeii and I just wanted to sit outside a café, sipping coffee, enjoying that I had finally got to Pompeii.

In Tenerife, a woman with a clipboard very convincingly acting deaf with hearing aids and leaflets. I gave her 10 euro. She followed me begging for more. Then a man crossed the street, snatched the money off her and they walked away arguing. Felt a chump.

A scam that is apparently very common on the steps of the Sacre Coeur in Paris is that you're suddenly approached and have your wrist grabbed, only to look down and see a thong-type bracelet has been tied round it, for which payment is demanded. They're difficult to remove so people feel pressured to pay up just to get away.
I've had the petition thing near the Eiffel Tower from two women working together. Even though I'd read all about scams I was taken off guard and thought signing is harmless as a signature from an English tourist would be useless to them. But then one of the two women demanded 20 euros for whatever the cause was meant to be, pointing to an entry from another signatory who'd apparently given that amount. I refused and luckily they just gave me filthy looks and walked away.

A common scam at the beach I have come across is someone who asks you to sign a petition. They attempt to put the clipboard over your bag and as you sign they try to pilfer your valuables. I know a few people who were caught like this on a beach in Portugal. Happens at out door restaurants too when the distract you with similar hat then steal your phone off the table.

The petition scam is common in Berlin as well. I was stopped and asked to sign the petition so said I didn’t speak German - they said it was fine as it was all in English. I thought that was deeply fishy so shouted at them to go away which they did with some
muttering and pointing.

I was stopped and asked to sign the petition so said I didn’t speak German - they said it was fine as it was all in English.

That reminds me: the Eiffel Tower petition women started by asking me if I spoke English. I assumed they were asking for directions then one of them whipped out the petition.

I’ve seen it happen with a large map or even a large leaflet. They place it right in front of you and meanwhile grab your phone from the table or go through your bag.

That happened to me in Barcelona. Some women slammed a newspaper down on my cafe table asking me to buy it. I said no and the scooped it up again, along with the cash that was on the table to pay for our breakfast. They'd waited until I was on my own - my friend was in the loo and the waitress was far away. She remonstrated with them, but there was nothing she could do - they denied all knowledge and one woman had passed the money to another who had vanished. Taught me a lesson in terms of being more vigilant for sure

The gold ring thing happened to us constantly last time we were in Paris. We ended up just totally ignoring them and not even breaking stride.

There’s a very big chance you’ll be followed by two very persistent and intimidating men.

These scams seem to use women as the front-facing pawn, but gangs of very dodgy and aggressive men are nearby overseeing everything.

The best thing you can do is ignore, don’t engage, and walk on. I get the attraction of trying to mess with them, but it’s not always the best idea.

I had this a few years ago when the diversion was a baby. A woman would walk towards you with a tiny baby and literally drop it so your instinct would be to make a dive to catch it, then you’d be accused of trying to take her baby, and threatened with the police if you didn’t hand over money.
I think (hope!) they were using dolls wrapped in baby blankets.

Not that scam, but I’ve had someone try to shake my hand forcibly and then try to work my lovely ring off my finger. Thankfully it was hot weather and my knuckles had swollen up (cheers arthritis) and they couldn’t slip it off. Fuckers. I gave them a right mouthful which was not so clever as I guess they could have turned nasty, but post menopause I am sick of CFs that think they can have nice things without working hard for them.

Just to add - that was in Morrocco, someone also tried something similar in Paris. No handshakes with strangers from me, and I will loudly shout if it’s tried.

So the best thing to do is completely ignore anyone who comes up to you, they have no business talking to you in the first place.

Watch out for contactless payments where they stick a couple of zeros on to the end after you've seen the total. Saw this described a lot in taxis but also things like this. Get a receipt or invoice from taxi or you can't prove it was fraudulent.

www.theguardian.com/money/2026/may/24/brazilian-beach-scam-debit-card-con-kebab

Thanks all. I had a hunch that the dropped ring was a scam.

Yes I too came across a woman tapping my shoulder to try and sign a petition at the Eiffel Tower, whilst I was distracted trying to take a few photos.

Another thing that happened to me, also in Istanbul, Tűrkiye, (as Turkey is now called,) was I took a taxi ride between a route which I had been on several times before. All my other taxi drivers spoke minimal English and had a set fare. This particular taxi driver was fluent, ( and also had green eyes.)
He said that there were protests in Taksim Square and had to take a detour. He said that his wife was in labour and about to deliver, and kept making calls.
Instead of parking in front of the hotel (due to CCTV) he parked on a side street. Then asked me for about 8x the usual fare that I had previously paid for . I said that I didn’t have that amount.
I gave him a 50 denomination note, and he swapped it and held up 5 Lira note instead . When I brought up the usual fare that I had paid, he suddenly started driving very fast around the block. His excuse was there was a car that needed to get by behind him. I was still in the back of the car, and this got me worried.
He asked me to go the cashpoint. Knowing that he would likely rob me of my card, I said my husband was in the hotel and I could get the cash from him. (He wasn’t in the hotel, but needed an excuse to get to a place of safety.) At this point he gave up and let me out, after I had given whatever cash I had.
I only discovered the 50Lira/5 Lira switch when I went back to the hotel room and was able to count my cash. I knew what denominations of notes I had brought with me as foreign money.

We were warned of the note switching by our guide in Egypt previously, but when it happens to you, you are still caught unaware.

I go to Rome a lot, you get the men trying to put a bracelet on you quite forcefully. It is the same scam as detailed up thread. In Rome it is black African men. I will get accused of racism, whatever, but I am using it as a description so that people are aware. Don’t be polite, don’t engage. They tend to hang out near the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain. When they make a grab for your wrist I see it as an assault. I am sure their police could do something about it. But then London is similarly crime ridden and our police are seemingly as impotent.

Reminds me of a recent taxi from Lisbon airport to the train station (about a 5 minute drive). I asked the driver to step on then he casually mentioned that all cab rides in zone 1 were now €23 for the summer. He even had a yellow laminated sheet as proof.

So I said sod the train, please stop the car and let's call the GNR because I am not going to pay that. Funnily enough the fare dropped to €7 in his next breath...

Yes, that's what happened to me and it was near the Colluseum, so it sounds like my instincts were right.

After saying hello etc he wanted to shake my hand so that's when he would have forced the bracelet on me.

When I refused to shake his hand that's when he started being less friendly and suggesting that I wasn't shaking his hand because he was black. No mate, I'm just a little wiser than you were hoping for in a location well known for con artists and pick pockets.

The best way is just look straight through them into the middle distance, let them accuse you of racism, or let them curse you in another language, they are scamming scumbags, preying on people’s politeness.