Paris is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, which unfortunately means that scammers target the vast numbers of people that visit the French city.
A warning has been issued about a strange hustle that some attempt at the 19th century Sacré-Cœur Catholic church and basilica in Montmartre.
The social media account parisinmypocket described the move as a “scam” in a TikTok video.
It involves men standing on “curvy bits” of path outside the landmark approaching visitors and trying to place a “friendship bracelet” on their wrists. But, the account warns, “these dudes aren’t your friends”.
It adds: “If you encounter them, just say ‘NO’ and keep walking.”
“If you’re coming to Paris, and you find yourself in Montmartre in front of Sacré-Cœur, and some guy standing on one of these little curvy bits is staring at you, and then goes for you with a little bit of string and tries to put it on your wrist, that’s a friendship bracelet.
“Unfortunately, what this guy never learned was that friendship doesn’t work this way.
“And once he gets the bracelet on you, he’ll tighten it, and then he’ll hold on and be like, ‘hey, now that we’re friends, maybe you can give me something in return?’
“Again, that’s not how friendship works. This is not also how Parisians work. This is a scam, and you’re going to want to watch out for it.”
The account then advises tourists to keep their hands to themselves and “just say no”.
In 2023, Sacré-Cœur reportedly had 10.5million visitors.
The building is known for its white domes, having been modelled after the porch of Périgueux Cathedral.
The area around the basilica includes Place du Tertre, which, as with many tourist hotspots in Europe, such as the area surrounding the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, is known for its painters and cartoonists.
