Watch out for this latest scam in Budapest!

Budapest sees a fair share of tourists throughout the year. An increasingly popular destination among young people, the Hungarian capital attracts many adventure-loving travellers from all corners of Europe who like to explore the vibrant nightlife of the city. A new scam seems to target particularly this demographic though.

Like many other metropolises, Budapest also counts a number of pity thieves who try to take advantage of unsuspecting tourists. These criminals come up with various ways to scam innocent partygoers out of their money. One such scheme involves the use of ATMs and has been claiming victims for at least a year now, 24.hu reports.

Targeting foreigners

A new type of crime started to spread in the party district of the capital city about a year ago. It targets people who are using ATMs to withdraw cash. In every reported case, the victims were foreigners who were either heading to or coming out of a club at night or in the wee hours.

The perpetrators approached their victims near ATMs in Budapest’s 7th district and offered their “help”. They sometimes duped their prey by saying that if they switched the language to Hungarian, the cash machine would waive transaction fees.

In other cases, they distracted their victims mid-transaction. Claiming that the machine was broken, they then escorted the unsuspecting tourist to another ATM. Ultimately, the perpetrators would get their hands on the dispensed banknotes in one way or another. The damages caused by these crimes ranged from tens of thousands to several hundred thousand Hungarian forints.

The Budapest Police Headquarters, specifically the 7th District Police Station, has been investigating these trending criminal activities. Since the end of 2022, a total of 22 suspects have been interrogated. Although the number of crimes occurring on a weekly basis has noticeably dropped, the phenomenon has not completely ceased.

What to do if you fell for the scam?

There are several ways one can prevent this from happening. The easiest solution is to withdraw cash from an ATM before consuming any alcoholic beverage. However, as an overwhelming majority of nightclubs and bars accept international credit and debit cards, it’s hardly necessary to have cash on you when going out.

Don’t trust strangers with your bank card information, especially not when intoxicated. Also, don’t change the language settings of the ATM to Hungarian, as the English version offers the same prices and services.

The Budapest Police advises caution during cash withdrawals. Besides, anyone who has fallen for the scam or has information regarding the scheme is urged to contact the police by calling 112, the emergency hotline.