Pickpockets and Scams: What to Know Before Your Night Walk

Pickpockets are probably the thing visitors worry about most in Paris. We'd love to say there aren't many, but there are. On a night tour, be extra careful with your belongings. Leave valuables somewhere safe at your accommodation, and keep nothing in your coat pockets; if you must, hold the pocket shut with your hand in crowded places. Zip crossbody bags fully and wear them in front of you, keep anything important deep inside a backpack, and be ready to grip a tote bag tightly if someone looks suspicious. There's no need to be frightened, but staying alert really matters.

The first type is the bump. One second of contact is all it takes, and they'll slip things out of coat pockets or even zipped bags. Crowds are the danger zone, and the metro above all. Your guide was targeted twice, both times on the metro. The first time, four girls kept saying "sorry, sorry" while shoving past her, then got off. A man who boarded right after held out a wallet and asked, "Is this yours?" He had seen the theft, chased the thieves, and picked up the wallet they'd tossed after taking only the cash. It ended as a good memory, but never let your guard down. The second time, in a packed metro, she felt something slip out of her crossbody bag as she got off, and later found her pouch gone. The doors had already closed, so there was no chasing anyone. Watch out for people who wait by the doors and hop off the moment they've succeeded.

The second type is the petition scammers. They're less active at night, but if you meet them, be even more careful. They approach holding a sheet of A4 paper taped to a box and a pen, ask whether you speak English, and appeal to your kindness by saying they're building a school in a poor country. Next to the signature line is a donation column; others have all written the same amount, so people copy it, and then the demand for money begins. It isn't real fundraising, it's a scam. Ignore them when they approach, and push them away if they come close, because while they shove the paper in your face and split your attention, a pickpocket goes to work.

They tend to gather around the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Garden, the stretch between the Tuileries and the Louvre, and in front of Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre. The guide finds the Tuileries–Louvre stretch the scariest: elsewhere they move in groups of three or four, but here it's ten to fifteen, grabbing bags or charging at you shouting to scare you. The reason, she says, is that when police crack down near the Louvre they slip away among the Tuileries' trees. On crackdown days they sometimes spill down to the Tuileries or the Place de la Concorde, so if you see them, don't approach; walk around. Say a firm "No!", act relaxed, and keep a tight hold on your belongings. Clutching your bag too obviously can actually make you a target, so project the calm of a local.

And don't leave things lying around. In restaurants and cafés, don't hang your bag on the outer side of your chair or leave belongings behind when you go to the restroom. The guide once had a big backpack stolen from beside her while chatting with a friend in a McDonald's, and only found out when someone told her. Since you'll have earphones in on this tour, take extra care, or wear just one earbud if you're nervous. The guide says Paris never felt scary enough to stop her from walking around even before dawn, and every incident happened when she let her guard down.