Destinations › Germany › Berlin › Scams
Berlin, Germany
9 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Berlin, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
ATM skimming devices attached to card slots in tourist areas — check for anything unusual before inserting a card.
Drivers don't turn on the meter and quote an inflated flat rate at the end of the trip, sometimes claiming the meter is broken.
A stranger offers a good deal on show or event tickets, takes payment, and hands over tickets that are fake or never arrive.
Young people with clipboards near Bernauer Straße or Museumsinsel ask for petition signatures for a fake charity, then pressure signers for money.
Group distraction thefts at tourist attractions, transport hubs, and shopping streets — one member creates a diversion while another pickpockets.
Vendors and market stalls occasionally shortchanging cash transactions involving large euro notes.
Street vendors near tourist sites selling counterfeit branded goods.
Restaurants in heavily touristed areas near Alexanderplatz add an unlisted cover charge not shown on the printed menu.
Shell games, cup games, and card tricks set up on the street look winnable to onlookers but are rigged — treat a "convinced" crowd as part of the act, not proof of fairness.
