These are the tourist scams Trzly has documented across Hà Lan, grouped by destination. Each one is real, with a clear way to stay safe. Read before you land.
Cách thức hoạt động: Street dealers, often near the centre and red-light area, offer drugs to tourists that are fake, cut with harmful substances or a setup for robbery. Buying from them is both risky and illegal.
Cách tránh: Never buy anything from a street dealer. It is unsafe and against the law, and the pills or powders sold this way have caused serious harm. Walk away from anyone offering.
Cách thức hoạt động: Some rental outlets photograph a bike, then claim pre-existing scratches or a 'stolen' bike after you return it, demanding a large fee from your card or deposit.
Cách tránh: Rent from a well-reviewed, established shop, photograph the bike yourself before riding, keep your receipt, and always lock it properly to a fixed stand with the locks provided.
Cách thức hoạt động: Restaurants along Damrak and around the main squares lure passers-by with photo menus, then serve mediocre food at inflated prices with unexpected extra charges.
Cách tránh: Avoid places with staff waving you in and pictures of every dish. Walk a few streets into the Jordaan or De Pijp, check printed prices, and pick spots busy with locals.
Cách thức hoạt động: Thieves work busy trams, Centraal station and crowded tourist spots, lifting phones and wallets during the crush of boarding or in a staged jostle.
Cách tránh: Keep your bag zipped and in front, hold your phone securely, and be extra alert when a tram is packed or someone bumps into you. Carry only what you need for the day.
Cách thức hoạt động: The most realistic risk for visitors. Thieves work the crush at Rotterdam Centraal, in the Markthal and busy shopping streets, and on packed trams and metros, sometimes using a distraction such as asking for directions or dropping something to lift a phone or wallet.
Cách tránh: Keep your bag zipped and in front of you, secure your phone, and be extra alert when a tram or platform is crowded or someone bumps into you. Carry only what you need for the day and stay aware in the busiest tourist spots.
Cách thức hoạt động: A handful of rental outlets may photograph a bike and later claim pre-existing scratches, or charge a large fee for a bike reported as 'damaged' or stolen, taking it from your card or deposit.
Cách tránh: Rent from a well-reviewed, established shop, photograph the bike yourself before riding, keep your receipt, and always lock it properly to a fixed stand with the locks provided. Ask up front exactly what happens if the bike is damaged.
Cách thức hoạt động: A few restaurants in the busiest, most tourist-facing spots near the main sights charge premium prices for average food, banking on the location and passing foot traffic rather than quality.
Cách tránh: Walk a street or two away from the busiest squares and the riverside, look for where locals and office workers eat, and check the printed menu and prices before you sit down. The same money buys much better food a short walk on.
Cách thức hoạt động: Occasionally around the centre and stations, people with clipboards or official-looking badges ask you to sign a petition or donate to a 'charity', either to distract you for a pickpocket or to pressure a cash donation that goes nowhere.
Cách tránh: Politely decline and keep walking; genuine charities do not chase tourists for on-the-spot cash. Do not stop to sign anything in a crowd or hand over money, and keep your bag secure while you move away.
Cách thức hoạt động: A minority of street taxis may take a longer route or quote an inflated flat price rather than running the meter, especially with visitors who do not know the city or the fair fare.
Cách tránh: Use the official taxi rank or a booking app such as Uber, insist the meter is used in a street taxi, and check the route on your phone. For most trips the metro, tram or a water taxi is cheaper and just as quick.