London is a safe city for visitors, and most people never encounter a problem. But like every major tourist destination, it has a handful of well-known tricks aimed at people who are new, tired or distracted. Knowing what they look like is usually all it takes to avoid them.
1. Unlicensed Minicab Touts
Someone approaches you outside an airport, station, club or late-night venue offering a cheap ride. These cars are not booked, often not insured for passengers and not licensed, and it is illegal for them to pick you up this way. In London, only black cabs can be hailed in the street; minicabs must be pre-booked through a licensed operator. Our guide to licensed minicabs vs illegal touts explains how to check a car and driver.
2. Fake Airport “Drivers”
At airports, people sometimes approach arriving passengers in the arrivals hall offering transport. A genuine pre-booked driver will be holding a sign with your name, will know your booking details, and you will have received their details in advance. Never go with someone who simply asks where you are heading.
3. The Three-Cup Game
On Westminster Bridge and along the South Bank you may see a crowd around someone moving a ball under cups. People in the crowd appear to win money. They are part of the team, the game cannot be won, and the crowd is a perfect cover for pickpockets. Walk on.
4. Bracelets, Flowers and “Gifts”
Someone ties a bracelet to your wrist, hands you a sprig of rosemary or a flower, then demands payment. Keep walking, keep your hands to yourself, and politely say no.
5. Clipboard Petitions
A person with a clipboard asks you to sign a petition, often for a deaf or disabled charity, then asks for a donation. Sometimes the clipboard covers a hand reaching for your phone or bag. Genuine charities working on the street wear official identification and do not pressure you for cash.
6. Phone Snatching
Thieves on bicycles or mopeds sometimes grab phones from people using them at the kerbside. Step back from the road or into a doorway to check directions, and keep a firm grip.
7. Pickpockets in Crowds
Busy Tube carriages, escalators, Oxford Street and popular viewpoints are where pickpockets work, sometimes as a team creating a distraction. Use a zipped bag worn in front of you, and do not keep your phone in a back pocket.
8. Card Machines Offering Your Home Currency
When paying by card, a machine or ATM may offer to charge you in your home currency instead of pounds. This is called dynamic currency conversion, and the exchange rate is usually worse than your bank’s. Choose to pay in GBP.
9. Ticket Touts
People outside theatres, attractions and stadiums sell tickets that may be fake or invalid. Buy from the venue’s box office, the official website or the TKTS booth in Leicester Square for same-day theatre deals.
10. Fake ETA and Visa Websites
Before you even arrive, unofficial websites charge large fees to submit the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation form. The genuine routes are the UK ETA app and GOV.UK. Our UK ETA guide explains the process.
11. ATM Tampering
Use cash machines inside banks or shops where possible, cover the keypad when entering your PIN, and do not accept “help” from strangers at the machine.
If Something Happens
- Call your bank immediately to block a stolen card.
- Report the crime to the police on 101, or 999 if it is an emergency, and get a crime reference for insurance.
- If your passport is stolen, contact your embassy or high commission in London.
Travel Safely from Door to Door
A pre-booked, TfL-licensed private hire journey with Mason & Green means you know who is collecting you, the price is fixed in advance, and your driver’s details are confirmed before the journey. See our airport transfers and chauffeur service.