Destinations › Belgium › Brussels › Scams
Brussels, Belgium
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Brussels, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Restaurant touts physically steering passers-by into venues with promises of fixed-price menus that do not match the eventual bill.
Restaurants on the tourist restaurant streets touting from the doorway, then presenting bills with undisclosed cover charges and items not ordered.
Pickpocketing on the metro and around the main squares and stations, frequently using a staged jostle or a dropped-item distraction.
Short-let listings taking deposits for properties unavailable on arrival, particularly around summit weeks.
Fake charity collectors and clipboard petitioners working the main square and station forecourts.
Dynamic currency conversion at card terminals and independent cash machines at unfavourable rates.
Counterfeit branded goods and 'artisan' chocolate that is mass-produced, sold as genuine in tourist shops.
Drivers taking extended routes from the airport and stations and applying surcharges outside applicable hours.
Unofficial 'city card' sellers offering passes that duplicate free entry or are not valid.
Resold attraction and event tickets that are already used or invalid.
