Australians heading to Europe to escape the cold are being cautioned about scams targeting unsuspecting tourists. Scammers have various tactics to con travellers out of their hard-earned cash, and one particular scam that has gone viral on social media involves "exploiting the kindness of strangers."
An Australian on the Greek island of Paros recorded a Yiayia using a crutch in a busy street outside a restaurant.
While this isn’t uncommon in some parts of Europe, the tourist later spotted the same Yiayia walking perfectly fine without her walking stick the next day.
Sarah Megginson, a personal finance expert at Finder, told commented that this is just one of many scams travellers should be aware of.
“Getting scammed in Europe is nothing new—these schemes have existed for decades," she explained. “The scam in this TikTok is relatively harmless; the traveller probably only lost a few dollars. However, some scams can seriously ruin your holiday if they manage to take a significant amount of your money.”
The Aussie who filmed the TikTok received numerous comments from others who had also encountered the same beggar in different areas of Paros.
One user commented, "I literally just saw her 15 minutes ago and felt so bad—thank you for sharing this."