Scam #0 Never Pick Up that Shoe Brush!!!

Ever. No matter how strong of an urge you're having. For those curious about what happens next: the con artists are usually males in their 30s, hyper-focused on this singular gig. The shoe brush is attached to their kit by a loose hook, engineered to drop "accidentally" right in front of an oncoming tourist.

After an unfortunate tourist reflexively picks up the brush and hands it back, the con artist approaches with overwhelming gratitude, offering a "free" shoe shine (good luck if you're wearing flip-flops). At this stage, it is still entirely possible to walk away — you owe them nothing. If you let the "shining" happen, the free part suddenly evaporates. The vibe shifts instantly to intense psychological bullying: "My kids are starving, are you letting them die?!" accompanied by raised voices to attract a crowd.

Most tourists prefer to part with whatever cash they have in their pockets just to buy their escape. If the bill isn't enough, expect further bullying. Your defense weapon: keep walking. If trapped, scream loudly for the Turizm Polisi (Tourist Police).

You can get 5 more staple Istanbul scam warnings below: