In big cities, tourists often fall prey to various creative scams and robberies. Now, visitors to the Hungarian capital face a new scam involving trained pigeons. The district’s prospective municipal councillor is already taking steps to combat these petty crimes.
New tourist scam in Budapest
Blikk reports that visitors to the Buda Castle are encountering a new tourist scam in Budapest, where trained pigeons are used to lure unsuspecting tourists. Instead of the old petty scams, the new tactic involves charging ten euros for a photo with a pigeon, regardless of whether the tourist has the money on hand. Kristóf Wehner, the future municipal councillor for the district, has highlighted the new administration’s priorities, which include strengthening the public spaces police and establishing park police to address these issues.
Ensuring safety
Wehner criticised the pigeon photo scam as being entirely unworthy of the Buda Castle and District 1. He told Magyar Nemzet that enhancing public space surveillance and efficiency is a key objective for the new city administration. By focusing on these areas, the administration aims to curb such exploitative practices and ensure a safer, more enjoyable experience for visitors. In addition, he also notes that improving the cleanliness of the area is also of key importance. According to him, the daily amount of rubbish exceeds the capacity of the waste collectors. He says:
This is why the World Heritage site of Buda Castle is often littered with rubbish.
A smart way to scam people?
Várnegyed.hu also notes that at the Fisherman’s Bastion, tourists are increasingly being targeted by a sophisticated tourist scam in Budapest involving trained pigeons. Fraudsters exploit tourists regardless of how much cash they have on them, either giving change if they only have bigger bills or accompanying them to the nearest ATM if they lack cash.
Kristóf Wehner described the new tourist scam in Budapest as mafia-like, with perpetrators using surveillance teams to evade police. Wehner emphasised that such activities tarnish the image of Buda Castle and Hungary, calling for strong municipal action from October to address this and other issues like alcohol abuse, violent begging, public urination and noise-making in the district.
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Featured image: depositphotos.com