Lost $60 on a fake bus pass in Paris last summer

I bought a supposed week-long metro pass from a guy outside Gare du Nord for 60 euros. He showed me a valid-looking card and even swiped me through the gate. Turns out it was a stolen card that got blocked the next day. I got fined 35 euros by a ticket inspector for using it. Has anyone else gotten scammed by those street sellers near train stations?

2 comments

2 Comments

victor_perry9022d agoMost Upvoted

It's just like how you can't trust those guys selling "authentic" designer bags on Canal Saint-Martin either.

the_brian22d ago

@victor_perry90 nailed it with that comparison. It's the same pattern everywhere now - people selling fake "authenticity" like it's a product. You see it in those pop-up street food stalls that claim to be "traditional family recipes" but it's just frozen stuff from a warehouse. Or the guys in touristy neighborhoods who talk about their "handmade" jewelry that's clearly mass produced in a factory somewhere. The whole thing runs on people wanting to believe they're getting something special, so the fakers just keep getting bolder. Once you start noticing it, you can't stop seeing it everywhere.