We were in Florence in October and November of 2021. This location negotiated a rate of 1.20 with us but then tried to exchange $1000 for 650. When we saw the rate on the receipt we didn't touch the money. We refused to sign the receipt and said we would not conclude the transaction. The woman said that we had no choice and could call the police if we wanted because "they won't do anything." So we did. We called the police and it was beautiful. The officers showed up and yelled at the cashier. It turns out the business was committing a crime and the police called a judge who ordered our money to be returned. This place needs to be closed and hopefully our efforts helped close their doors.
@@jiqbal1uk Yes, really. First two officers came and cashier refused to give it back, then more officers arrived. The cashier kept refusing and we weren't willing to just walk away and give the woman $1,000. The officers called a judge and he froze the money while we filed a formal police report. Then the judge ordered the money returned to us.
On my 2 pre Covid trips to Prague I was not conned by the rip off money merchants. How? I took all the previous advice by Honest Guide videos. Janek and Honza saved me money. Great work guys.
As an American who travels a lot in Europe and changed USD for all sorts of different currencies, this is a great video. Getting burnt by an exchange office is a lesson you only learn once
It was the same in Romania. The exchange offices had a bodyguard for angry customers. BUT the Consumer Protection Agency in Romania issued a rule/law that the rate should include al fees. From then all cheating offices disappeared.
it just goes to show that the difference between chaos and scams is just a simple law or regulations that makes people able to assess things for themselves, and is easy and cheap to enforce. In this case, no lengthy investigation is required; the police can simply tell from the signs and then ask people if the signs were accurate in order to assess whether the law is being followed. Countries can and do fix basic problems through law and when we get the erroneous idea that they can't, that's a problem.
Regardless if it's legal or not, the customer should be refunded if they are asked to do so, this is just taking the piss & it's a great thing that you are calling them out on it.
@@g76agi You are saying it is legal for them to hold your money before signing an agreement but after you told them you don't want to go through with the deal? I'm pretty sure it's illegal in at least all of EU. Taking someone's property by force or deception is robbery/thievery as far as I know.
@@ruukinen I can imagine that most of these American tourists just throw some hundred-dollar notes and accept whatever returned to them. They are not even aware of being ripped off. This is called stupidity, not robbery. If the money is in your wallet and you open your mouth to ask how much euros you can get, you can always walk away if you are not happy about the rate. As their business is totally legal, it is stupid tourists' responsibility for letting shady businesses like this survive and make money.
@@laod7192 But the guy in the video tried to do that. Did you even watch. After they told him the rate he said he didn't wanna do it and they claimed that the transaction was already done even though that is not at all how it works.
When I was in Milan, I decided to draw money from a Posteitaliane ATM and when my SMS notification from the bank came, I couldn't believe it, but they didn't charge me a fee, not even 50 cents. So as it appears, whatever you need to do with your money when you're in Italy, it's best to go to Posteitaliane. Props to them
yes of course, if you withdraw in an ATM (as every normal human being must done) you get the money in the local currency with no fees (except the ones applied by your bank) and with an exchange rate extremely close to the real one
@@tecnoChannell LOL, I don't know where you live and what's the situation there, but in my country, if you draw from other banks' ATMs, you'd be charged a 50 cent processing fee. Nowadays they changed it and it's 65 cents I believe. So you can imagine when that happened and the fact, that there's no known connection between my bank or Posteitaliane, I was pretty surprised.
@@Heizenberg-c3d I live in Italy. It depends on your bank. It can be free in all the Europe or they can charge you up to 2 euros. But today is more likely to have free withdrawals
My man exposing thieves and scammers left and right. I love how passionate he is about what he is doing. Keep doing what you’re doing bro. I’m sure you will clean these bastards out of our societies by raising awareness to people.
Shout outs to that lady at the tourist info centre for giving excellent info. This brings me to my experience with tourist info centres - if the tourist info centre is run by the city (NOT a hotel or an Airport) then their advice and information is usually very good.
Janek, you can report this manner to the 2 Italian tv shows called "LE IENE" and "STRISCIA LA NOTIZIA". They also deal with scams like that. As an Italian, I'm ashamed about it. Feel very sorry to those who come to visit the beauty we have in our country, but got scammed.
@@Narendersingh-id5ng All the tourist places have scammers. It doesn't mean all the locals are scammers. I had been to Italy, they are nice people irrespective of scammers. Small but important point.
You have to love how the lovely post office lady specifically mentioned "Best And Fast Change". That should tell us everything we need to know about what a bunch of skeezy grifters these B&FC clowns are.
I'm in Prague right now and walked past a place near Old Town Square that was buying euros for CZK17.10. I felt like it was my duty to stand outside for 15 mins and tell tourists that they'd be losing almost a 3rd of their money as they were heading in.. damn
When I was in the Navy, we were really fortunate that the government would arrange a representative to come on board at each port and allow us to exchange currency when we arrived, and again when we left. But like you said, just using a card is so much easier for the vast majority of situations.
Using, especially depending on cards can be devastating too. Lots of scammy places will just charge as high as they can, and there's always the chance of a rotten employee, cards not being accepted or the system being down, etc. Cash is king.
We spent our Honeymoon in Florence. We were offered a terrible rate at one of those offices. I politely bargained and the lady declined a better rate. I walked away, she hollered for me to come back, and she gave me *almost* the real going rate. I slipped my money into the window... then immediately got scared that she might not actually give me the amount agreed upon. Fortunately she did, but I would encourage all readers NOT to do business with a cash exchange you had to argue with in the first place.
Yes, they are here in Italy too. There is one inside the train station in Rome, sharing the office with a ticket agent-so you would think it is legit. But they ripped off my friend for about 25%.
The problem is the Train Stations charge such a high rent that they are forced into poor overall rates - again in the UK shop around, some travel agents will exchange too they are about midpoint - does the Student Travel Association (STA) still do good rates?
I'm at prauge right now. Landed yesterday. Credit to this man. Not only i save my money, but he become my actual turist guied to his own nation. Loveing here in paruge. Everything seems so cool Royal palace everywhere. Thank you brother. We as a turst you.
I expect people being able to travel to other countries and specially to tourist destination like Florence to be able to make their own judgements. If not nothing wrong with exploiting them like rest of the tourist industry. If they fall for it they entirely deserve it. Fairly trading them out of their money might even be the moral way.
Never use money exchangers, go to government institutions that have the ability to exchange your money or go to a local bank, if you absolutely must have physical money. Otherwise, do exactly as Honest Guides advise, use your card.
Or use an international debit card linked to an app on your phone. There are quite a few but I use Wise & have done for over 5 years; it's been indispensable and you can change between currencies for a small fee. After your trip, you can convert it back again easily & the fees are so low you'll barely notice. It usually costs me less than £5 to convert £1000 & it's pro-rata, plus you get the mid-international exchange rate shown before you convert it. And you need less cash as you're paying most things by card at the local rate. And no, I'm not being paid for anything, there's other, similar apps/cards that I haven't used so can't talk about.
@@johnmurphy9550 Why would you change between currencies when using a card? I use my card internationally exactly as home in Norway. My bank simply do the exchange and takes it from my account, based on current rates. One warning, though: If the place where you use the card gives you the option to pay in your currency or local, ALWAYS choose local, else they're usually adding their own exchange fee, which can be quite high. My bank never charges any fees of any kinds for using my card abroad.
@@johnnymartinjohansen not all bank actually lets you do this kind of stuff its common in Europe but not everywhere my bank bock any foreign currency so if a payment in euro try to pass its will bounce if i want to buy in local currency i will have to change bank or get a credits cards
Me, an Italian: Somehow I am not surprised. PS: Just as a heads up... As said in the video, when you come to Italy use your card. It is mandatory by law now for owners to let customers pay with card if they can't via cash, so if someone is throwing hissyfits or exuses, call the police. As a rule of thumb, ask if you can pay with your card before purchasing anything or sitting in a restaurant and if you can't, then walk straight outta there if you wanna avoid quarrels. They don't deserve your time and money. It s*cks, I know. Anyhow, I hope your holidays in Italy will be great!
Was this law around in 2009? I got a very hissy waiter in Venice that year who refused to take my card (thankfully my wallet had just enough coins and notes in it to cover the bill).
@@matthewleslie4448 Unfortunately the law is from 4ish years ago. But now every commercial activity is forced to accept payments by card. They face a fairly expensive fine if authorities find out they refuse to accept cards.
I really appreciate what you guys do to warn us about the tricks that scammers and hustlers use to prey on tourists travelling in Europe. This video about this exchange company in Florence has been especially helpful. Thanks so much.
We don't deserve you, Janek and Honza. You're just too good as human beings. Thank you for your courage and willingness to help thousands upon thousands of tourists!
Those rates are insane, 19.9% commission plus 9.9 euro fee !! Hopefully the word will get around, and everyone will know to avoid these scammers. Good work by Janek and Honza filming the video. The Italian government needs to bring in laws to stop these scammers, for example give customers a cooling off period in which time they can reverse the transaction.
This company has made an unfortunate decision. If they'd do nothing, they would be just one of the many bad exchange offices in Prague. (Thanks to the Honest Guide, most of them are shut now.) By filing a lawsuit, they made Honza and Janek cross, so that they came to Florence, to make this company famous. EDIT - By threatening them, that they will file a lawsuit
They make 3 million a year from the 10 euro fee and based on their advertised 300,000 transactions a year, call it about 10 million euro in over the top commission, So they make 13 million a year, 36 branches, less than half a mil in revenue before costs and taxes per branch. Just a small player at this stage. The other 4% or so, they are entitled to keep. Those exchange places are for idiots and theres a lot of them.
Beware if you go to Lisbon airport and use the taxis that are lined up. I took one to a hotel nearby. They started with the meter on but when arriving they turned it off and then say their price which for me was more. I had filmed the whole 10 minute journey so later he gave up and dumped my stuff at the side. I had asked the hotel the price too and they helped me sort of.
I just came back from Prague two weeks ago for 10 days in Prague! BECAUSE OF YOUR VIDEOS, I was not scammed. I was very careful when choosing an ATM. Believe me I wouldn’t have known without your videos. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS. How can I give this a 100x like?
@Spartan Hegemony I would be happy to support what they do. However; I want you to understand that by not being scammed in Prague is not the same or even equal to ‘ I have saved money’ you got this all wrong or English is not your first language.
@@clam371384 you said how can I give this 100x like ? Yes I get you did not "ask "for help, omg, but maybe you can share it with others=which could equal to 100likes😆 Got it? Like be a nice person. I am not a native english speaker like you, but you are not the sharpest knife in a drawer. Glad you were not scammed in my birthtown, Honza and Janek are happy too!
Hey, sorry for intervening but I wanted to say that the confusion in this thread could stem from us Czechs being very literal. Like for example when people from english speaking countries say "how you doing?" or "you alright?" it's meant as a greeting, but if you ask Czechs these questions, they will literally tell you about their day. So the Czechs saw your "how can I give this 100x like?" question and thought you'd appreciate some suggestions, but to you it probably sounded like they're being rude and telling you you have to donate or share. 😅🇨🇿
Dude do it one day if you can. I'm a black guy from Philly, poor as can be but I got to go to London on a community college trip for 2 weeks(paid like 800 including passport and was poor as fuck during the trip). London is close to America so it wasn't that radical but as someone that's only left his city very few times it felt great and refreshing to be away from it all and in a strange place. I even met one of my best online buds that's European.
@@genocidehero9687 dude im not American, our GDP per Capita is 10 times lower than you, $800 is like 3 or 4 months of my salary. When i said poor it means developing country kind of poor 😭
Do not be ashamed and do something about it. 1) Piss on their place. Customers hate piss smelling shops, and those scammers will have to clean it (DOUBLE KILL). Even if you get caught by police, you will most likely end up just apologizing. 2) Then get a dog and train him to piss there. Every other passing dog will piss there too. They can´t prove you trained him to do it, dogs are unpunishable. 3) If you wish to invest money, buy an advertisement place, and hang a poster "scammers" pointing on their entrance. 4) Go around the nearby business owners, and organise them to warn people (they must be tired of hearing tourist fight with scammers every day, ruins their business too).
@@andreiarama8745 In honest business there is a small fee, like 1 EUR, and 2% comission. So around 80 EUR is a good exchange. This service is not valued more.
@@Pyrochemik007 when a shop sells a sweater for 100€ they don't pay more than 20€ for it. After that they pay the taxes and depending on the country the shop makes on every 100€ around 50-60€ win. From that they need to pay the rent,the sales guy/woman, lights,and everything else. Now you tell me that who changes money should make 4€ every 100€,and another 4€ when they sell back that currency. Basically you tell me that this business from around 8€ every 100€ should pay rent(in top expensive places), employees,armed employees to take money to the bank,taxes and everything from this small amount of money? Think about it. Really think about it. If you had choice between opening an exchange shop like this with a a very expensive license,an to make like 4% profit, would you do it?
You're doing a great job in making people aware. I personally was ripped off by a cash machine in Prague and you pointed it out a few months after. I learnt my lesson, mainly through yourself. Great work
@@PROVOCATEURSK i leave it to your wisdom. For religious folks god of your choice..... for atheist - two gentlemen whose action speak louder than words !! Or two folks making fraud on world zero
Here I was expecting the exchange employee to be a respectable person for agreeing to a meet up only for him to hit us with, “it’s your fault you got scammed because you were too dumb to read the warning that we were going to scam you”
I’m trying to imagine doing what you do in Los Angeles. It would be taking your life in your hands. Your videos are so important. You’re helping countless visitors have the best visit possible. It’s too bad so many businesses who represent these destinations want to make sure visitors have a terrible time and that their actions will forever be the bad moments of their visits. You two ARE the best!!
You see central EUrope is still not a multicultural paradise. But they are determined to get eventually there... (and don;t hold your breath that those Americans would even notice that they were practically robed)
@@wlpxx7 the petty criminals in LOs Angeles (especially East LA) tend to be unpredictable and very violent. I would think any efforts to thwart or expose them would be met with the most fierce show of violence they could manage.
@@boufontleflamingoetta8433 Oh please, its a scam not a robbery. Violence would be counter productive and draw way too much attention. Stand fast, and expose them.
Studying in Prague, living in a city up north that is way smaller. Even in a small Czech city, I can only think of one store I visited since moving here where I could not use card instead of cash. I think this goes for a lot of Europe too (Sweden, where I am from, is almost entirely cash free) Appreciate all you do!
Sorry but it's not 100% true. There are lots of stores which are not accept cards in Prague. For example small grocery stores (večerky), local beer pubs outside of tourist center, cafes in parks etc.
My husband was scammed by them.😠 I was not with him at the time, but found him in a pub close by, with a large beer in his hand, fuming with anger!😅 My husband was in finance! Just show you how slick these criminals are.😤
I visited Greece a few years ago and experienced this kind of highway robbery for cash exchange. I was a newbie and Easy Pickins thank you so much for your video I really appreciate what you're doing for all of us Travelers. But lots of Travelers are not armed with knowledge they travel infrequently and they are easy prey for these villains
First, thank you for your very informative and eye opening videos. I've learned to be a lot more careful when travelling overseas. Second, it really shows how the legal system isn't necessarily a justice system when companies can operate under the guise of a legitimate business - which they legally are - but are in fact elaborate scams. Not much different than fraudulent accounting where money is being skimmed. And also the gaul that one cashier/scammer has to say it's the customers fault they didn't read the small print, when they make it small so it's hard to see! Great video and thanks for bringing awareness.
Well they saying it's legal doesn't mean it really is. For example this company was fined in Spain and the boss was disqualificated from serving as a director or manager in any payment or financial institution, and removal from the office of sole administrator. This company almost disappear from the web, its website is - well - isn't a website, its income decreased of 80+ percent in the last two years, in 2020 It had a loss of 4M euros etc...
I've wondered how exchange offices can afford more locations today than 20 years ago despite fewer customers. Guess they over-charge so much per transaction that they don't require high volume! 😖
Italy is a beautiful country and their people are no different. Fighter spirit and a sense of honour where it matters. 🇹🇷❤️🇮🇹. I am sure Italians are happy that you take on scammers. They are all over the world.
Greece-Athens is not devoit of this as well, basically most places where there is lots of tourists you would get to record some videos. Also, thanks for this, as this was one of the MOST constructive time i spent on youtube lately, and i know the stress and danger you guys put yourselves in for us. I don't know what else to say, you are amasing and take care !
I follow you since three or four years ago, and think you’re awesome, and make a great job making Prague more popular, if that’s possible. This videos are great because as a simple tourist I think I have been scamed by this kind of people once or twice. They shouldn’t be allowed to operate in any place. But sometimes I’m worried for your security and feel fear for you. I think you are also very brave. Have you ever been menaced or attacked in a more serious or violent way? Please be safe, we all need more people like you.
14:06 When I had a trip to Estonia, and then to Latvia, I withdrew cash only once - it was necessary as not all places accepted credit cards. Please, listen to Janek and use your credit cards, and only exchange your money if there is no other way to pay for the thing you need. If you do need to exchange cash, always check the official rates, and ASK how much you can get BEFORE giving the cash to the cashiers. As you saw, you might not get it back
Hey Honest guide, After visiting prague and being recommended to you some years back. I learned about the ATMs and the bad rates. When I visited Kroatia last September, I remembered your advice to never exchange money at EURONET atms or other dodgy atms. When I traveled to Pula I looked for an 'honest' atm. Literally on the opposite site of the street there was one still running on windows XP it seemed (due to the sound effects). It was I believe run by the Croation bank and I got a good rate out of it. I didn't even have to press the 'decline conversation'. I double checked with my bank account too. Thanks for saving me money in Kroatia. I may have made a mistake back then in Prague but you taught me to not fall into future tourist traps anymore. So thank you
I fell for the same scam at a train station at Budapest 20 years ago. I have signed the paper, received the money and left the office. Outside I have realized the amount of money I have received and the super bad exchange rate that was applied. I was young and naive and never thought that people could do something like this without batting an eye. I turned back to the office and asked what just happened. The cashier just showed me the small print: "the shown exchange rates are only valid above 1000EUR transaction value". Again, it was 20 years ago. I told her that I didn't saw the small print, I would like to exchange at the shown rate. And guess what, she accepted my request. She probably took pity on me because I was just a kid, barely 40kg soaking wet.
Recently got approached on a street of Warsaw by a Czech scammer. I recognized his play after watching your videos. Saved my some time, and possibly a mistake and money too! Thanks! Keep up the great work you are doing.
Cheers lads. Even though I'm travelling through other parts of Europe, a lot of the Prague-specific advice on your channel translates to these cultures. Appreciate the help~
after a long time i’ve decided to tune in to this channel again. and i’m so glad i did. the quality’s improved significantly and the great and informative commentary remained the same. i’m just amazed at how far they’ve come and hope they continue their journey the same way forward. a huge congratulations to the successes and to the 1 Million subs. keep up the great work guys.
Thank you for great work. I visited Prague at the end of last year. Before that a friend warned: "don't change money in Czech Republic - they're scammers". See how such businesses can affect tourism so badly that some travellers can even feel unsafe and go somewhere else? But... someone allows them to operate. Everything was nice in Prague and now a traveller's news site shared your video and that explains the warning.
The ATM point at the end is an important note - always either choose "decline conversion" or select _the local currency_ when asked. This results in _your bank_ converting the money, not the bank that operates the ATM. As you would expect, your bank will exchange the currency much more fairly than some random foreign bank who have no reason to care about how they treat you. Personally I have a card I can use abroad and exchanges using the Mastercard exchange rate with no extra fee. This results in me losing 0.1%-0.5%, depending on the currency and moment of exchange. Its usually around 0.2% when exchanging to euros which is beyond acceptable.
This is great - everyone need to highlight this scammers. Honestly i never exchange cash, I use my debit or credit cards and just withdraw from cash machines paying no commission in Europe. But this is just awful - thanks a lot for helping a lot of us
Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s crazy how super defensive those employees are getting. Like, sometimes people work for shitty companies not because they share the same mindset or ideals or whatever, but because they NEED the money (e.g. have children, terrible job market, debts, etc). In these cases though it seems like the employees are totally supporting the tourist scamming.
Because it gets to your head. Unless you were a scum before you even started working there, then I would guess you wouldn't feel good during your first month of the job. But then you'd make excuses for yourself, "it's not that bad", "we're not scammers, we just charge for good service", "If they don't like it they can go to a different place" etc... If you repeat these lies every day for a long time you will start believing in them and move your moral line further and further away. And to be honest I wouldn't be suprised if they had a bonus based on how much they scam out of people.
They probably don't want to get fired, people working these jobs don't usually have the luxury of being able to lose a job without a huge financial hit
I never trusted these exchange offices when I traveled somewhere, so I usually just set a budget for my trip, then exchange the money at my local bank a few days before traveling. I've encountered way too many scam attempts when traveling europe
Eh? Just go to any slightly shadier street at night where they try to push you in the door by having beautiful poster girls and then take your money with ridiculously expensive drinks and threaten you with violence if you don't pay.
@@211teitake So you are saying Japan is so much better since scams, that mainly target foreigners or people who aren't familiar with the area, aren't exclusively targeting foreigners? You do realize these people take money from any local dumb enough to use their services as well?
@@MrMajsterixx Yeah but we are comparing here to Italy and I don't necessarily agree that Japan is morally superior to Italy. The Japanese 'justice' system for example is morally backwards in many ways compared to Italy while Italy has a very loose fiscal policy. I don't know how you suddenly pulled in India.
Amazing video. I wish u could get a legislation modification as you did in Prague so exchange bureaux must give you your money back in the 3 hours after the transaction took place. It should be an European standard. Great work!
I wish I had seen this video months ago. It is incredible that you can have your money openly stolen simply having a notice that says that the will steal it. The cynicism of these cashiers!
I went to Spain in the summer to visit my sister. Laterally everything from taxis to supermarkets to restaurants to even small kiosk stores in the streets accept Apple Pay and GPay. Just make sure your credit and debit cards have no foreign transaction fee and you're golden. I exchanged a couple hundred dollars to euros at my bank in small bills to use as tips ect..
Sent this to my Grandparents who are planning a visit to Italy and specifically Prague as well. Hopefully with this advice they won't get scammed now. Thank you!
Ive never trusted any change offices. I'd always needed to check the current rate on the Internet and then I was making decision- ok, this is good. And I always was little bit upset when I found a better rate somewhere else 😅 (I could save around 60 cents on 100 euro exchange, but still worth it 😂)
You don't know how helpful this video is for me. I'm from Turkey, I was saving money for an Interrail trip for two years. Of course, Prague was on my list and I've watched your channel regularly. But this year our currency basically crashed and I had to switch my plans from 3 weeks of the entire Europe from 2 weeks of Italy. NOW YOU ARE IN ITALY EXPOSING SCAMMERS, LIKE HOW?!?! THANK YOU!!!
I took this whole thing to the other extreme: When I moved in New Zealand for a year I travelled there with all my money in cash. Since it was quite a lot, I of cause wanted to get the best exchange rate. So i spent the whole first day walking around Auckland to all the exchanges to see which one had the best rate. Visited about 10 places and picked the one with the best rate.
@@flamesofjihad4069 Interesting. Most Local Currency is, Local, so to buy it in a third or ones own country, it has to be bought in , or from a stock of previous trades. Conversely in NZ they will end up with lots of overseas currency that they either have to re sell or bank back to that country. Both differences carry costs, the point being at any time, which one has the lowest overall costs (USD for example pretty much tradeable anywhere and tend to be in good demand so less difference in prices in any one country)
This is honestly just good advice for traveling in general, too. Some peopleay not be aware of how a scam can manifest because they probably have never been scammed in any form
Looking forward to it. I've been living in Prague for almost a year and Janek & Honza have definitely helped me navigate my way through this beautiful city with clearer eyes. Keep up the amazing work guys.
Ιt's sad that they really do not violate any law, yet they base their audacity mainly on tourist/US American gullibility. But being a naive drifter has ultimately a price to pay. (Unfo Italy, unlike the Czech Rep., would never enact a law according to which you could have your money back up to 3 hours after the transaction, at your own discretion of course).
I never go travel in Europe and there's little chance I would, but I still appreciate the good service you are providing people. Keep up the good work man.
I came upon your channel by chance as I have travelled a lot when I was younger and fortunately was wise to many scams. I like your channel because you are not afraid to tackle these important issues most people could not tackle . As well as learning something new your channel Is very entertaining and makes me laugh . I also enjoy the cultural bits you show like learning certain words in your language and showing that your beautiful city has been let down by scammers . Thank you for a very interesting channel.
Keep up the good work guys! Keep exposing all the scammers and thieves and continue to make your beautiful country more safe and enjoyable for all tourists and visitors! 🙏☺️
Thanks to expose those things that ruin the experience of visiting other countries. Next time I go to Florence I'll spend sometime in front of one of those exchange office to tell tourist's to not go there. Gust to have some fun 😊
Get some information printed and hand it out to the tourist outside the money exchange offices , telling to go to the post office to exchange their money and show the big difference more they will get when they exchange their money at the post office . Telling people the truth is not a sin .
0:12 as an Italian I can assure you that ice cream is a tourist trap! :( I mean maybe it tastes decent but ice creams with those bright colours and fancy presentations are usually shitty quality and factory made. The best ones are usually the ones stored in aluminium cylinders with a lid on top where you can't actually see the ice cream
It's always best as a tourist to ask foreigners wht the best e.g. Ice cream place/Restaurant/whatever is than to just go by reviews. Literally everywhere in the world you will be able to find people that are nice and honest enough to spend a few minutes of time to tell you what the best place is.
@@osnariderz5075 I run some Airbnbs and I provide a detailed guide I personally made where I suggested pretty much "the best" of everything in the area.
We were in Florence in October and November of 2021. This location negotiated a rate of 1.20 with us but then tried to exchange $1000 for 650. When we saw the rate on the receipt we didn't touch the money. We refused to sign the receipt and said we would not conclude the transaction. The woman said that we had no choice and could call the police if we wanted because "they won't do anything." So we did. We called the police and it was beautiful. The officers showed up and yelled at the cashier. It turns out the business was committing a crime and the police called a judge who ordered our money to be returned. This place needs to be closed and hopefully our efforts helped close their doors.
Wish we had phones to do that - good job!. I should have just had my GF stay there and went to go get the cops. Next time i'll try it.
Called a judge?
Really
@@jiqbal1uk Yes, really. First two officers came and cashier refused to give it back, then more officers arrived. The cashier kept refusing and we weren't willing to just walk away and give the woman $1,000. The officers called a judge and he froze the money while we filed a formal police report. Then the judge ordered the money returned to us.
@@jiqbal1uk why not?
Absolutelly! Because this is a real example of what usury is. It's just plain wrong
On my 2 pre Covid trips to Prague I was not conned by the rip off money merchants. How? I took all the previous advice by Honest Guide videos. Janek and Honza saved me money. Great work guys.
And just as a question. Did the money changers all share one (can i say ethnic group) ?
@@garrysekelli6776 Yeah they are all Czech.
@@jakobkosmo2718 that's a political group. Or national group. An ethnic group not it makes .
Same here, great stuff both of you guys!
You know how I did it? By being poor.
As an Italian, thank you for exposing these thieves.
You rock, please keep going.
As an Italian my ass, those people are mostly Romanians.
I hope those barbaric thieves get worse treatment when they travel abroad. As a frequent traveler I appreciate your work.
@@mnz145you are not a traveleres 🙈😂
@@mnz145 barbaric?
As not an Italian, I have to say that you are thieves.
As an Italian, I have so much respect for you and your job, thank you for your fight against scammers
As an American who travels a lot in Europe and changed USD for all sorts of different currencies, this is a great video. Getting burnt by an exchange office is a lesson you only learn once
It was the same in Romania. The exchange offices had a bodyguard for angry customers. BUT the Consumer Protection Agency in Romania issued a rule/law that the rate should include al fees. From then all cheating offices disappeared.
Based Romanian law 👍
In a few decades or less I swear Romania will be one of the most sensibly developed countries.
That's a brilliant law, I'm impressed.
it just goes to show that the difference between chaos and scams is just a simple law or regulations that makes people able to assess things for themselves, and is easy and cheap to enforce. In this case, no lengthy investigation is required; the police can simply tell from the signs and then ask people if the signs were accurate in order to assess whether the law is being followed. Countries can and do fix basic problems through law and when we get the erroneous idea that they can't, that's a problem.
@@BozeboAs someone currently living in Romania, I agree with you completely!
I'm currently in Prague visiting all the scammers and avoiding them. It's like a dance but you are 2 steps ahead. Thank you so much.
nice
Dancing with the scammer lol
hahhahahhah like you have a cheats in a game :D
Regardless if it's legal or not, the customer should be refunded if they are asked to do so, this is just taking the piss & it's a great thing that you are calling them out on it.
Yeah I'm fairly sure it was an actual robbery at that point. If push came to shove I'm fairly sure the Police would have sided with the customer.
@@ruukinen well what theyre doing is legal, so the police cant really side with you
@@g76agi You are saying it is legal for them to hold your money before signing an agreement but after you told them you don't want to go through with the deal? I'm pretty sure it's illegal in at least all of EU. Taking someone's property by force or deception is robbery/thievery as far as I know.
@@ruukinen I can imagine that most of these American tourists just throw some hundred-dollar notes and accept whatever returned to them. They are not even aware of being ripped off. This is called stupidity, not robbery. If the money is in your wallet and you open your mouth to ask how much euros you can get, you can always walk away if you are not happy about the rate. As their business is totally legal, it is stupid tourists' responsibility for letting shady businesses like this survive and make money.
@@laod7192 But the guy in the video tried to do that. Did you even watch. After they told him the rate he said he didn't wanna do it and they claimed that the transaction was already done even though that is not at all how it works.
When I was in Milan, I decided to draw money from a Posteitaliane ATM and when my SMS notification from the bank came, I couldn't believe it, but they didn't charge me a fee, not even 50 cents. So as it appears, whatever you need to do with your money when you're in Italy, it's best to go to Posteitaliane. Props to them
yes of course, if you withdraw in an ATM (as every normal human being must done) you get the money in the local currency with no fees (except the ones applied by your bank) and with an exchange rate extremely close to the real one
@@tecnoChannell LOL, I don't know where you live and what's the situation there, but in my country, if you draw from other banks' ATMs, you'd be charged a 50 cent processing fee. Nowadays they changed it and it's 65 cents I believe. So you can imagine when that happened and the fact, that there's no known connection between my bank or Posteitaliane, I was pretty surprised.
@@Heizenberg-c3d I live in Italy. It depends on your bank. It can be free in all the Europe or they can charge you up to 2 euros. But today is more likely to have free withdrawals
most of US tourists don t have credit/debit card whit chip,
@@Lorre982 why they so retard?
My man exposing thieves and scammers left and right. I love how passionate he is about what he is doing. Keep doing what you’re doing bro. I’m sure you will clean these bastards out of our societies by raising awareness to people.
Shout outs to that lady at the tourist info centre for giving excellent info. This brings me to my experience with tourist info centres - if the tourist info centre is run by the city (NOT a hotel or an Airport) then their advice and information is usually very good.
Janek, you can report this manner to the 2 Italian tv shows called "LE IENE" and "STRISCIA LA NOTIZIA". They also deal with scams like that.
As an Italian, I'm ashamed about it. Feel very sorry to those who come to visit the beauty we have in our country, but got scammed.
As an italian you do not have a language barrier. Report them yourself, show this video!
Frate io sono dalla republica ceca, immagina ill nostro imbarazzo :Dd
@@Narendersingh-id5ng Indians per say don't scam Tourists. The travel operators, guides at Touristic places do so. Becareful with your words.
@@Narendersingh-id5ng bhai kyu naam kharab kar raha hai desh ka
@@Narendersingh-id5ng All the tourist places have scammers. It doesn't mean all the locals are scammers. I had been to Italy, they are nice people irrespective of scammers. Small but important point.
You have to love how the lovely post office lady specifically mentioned "Best And Fast Change". That should tell us everything we need to know about what a bunch of skeezy grifters these B&FC clowns are.
Yeah shout outs to that lady for doing her job well. The post office recommendation was excellent as well.
Dont take the jab
Wasn't that the tourist information office?
@@barneylaurance1865 nice catch. 4:07 shows that yes, it was the airport tourist info desk who gave the extra info. 👍
The C in their name secretly stands for clowns
I'm in Prague right now and walked past a place near Old Town Square that was buying euros for CZK17.10. I felt like it was my duty to stand outside for 15 mins and tell tourists that they'd be losing almost a 3rd of their money as they were heading in.. damn
You're a good person ❤
When I was in the Navy, we were really fortunate that the government would arrange a representative to come on board at each port and allow us to exchange currency when we arrived, and again when we left. But like you said, just using a card is so much easier for the vast majority of situations.
Using, especially depending on cards can be devastating too. Lots of scammy places will just charge as high as they can, and there's always the chance of a rotten employee, cards not being accepted or the system being down, etc. Cash is king.
If the Honest Guide starts to investigate in all Europe, scammers (legal or not) are in trouble there. Good job again. :D
Come to Croatia please :)
Его надо !
@Salty Wengiel I saw them rushing around on streets , I don't who is who and what they are rushing for , no peace only stress ...
@Salty Wengiel why like this
@Salty Wengiel I found I am the cleanest smartest person inside them
We spent our Honeymoon in Florence. We were offered a terrible rate at one of those offices. I politely bargained and the lady declined a better rate. I walked away, she hollered for me to come back, and she gave me *almost* the real going rate. I slipped my money into the window... then immediately got scared that she might not actually give me the amount agreed upon. Fortunately she did, but I would encourage all readers NOT to do business with a cash exchange you had to argue with in the first place.
Yes, they are here in Italy too. There is one inside the train station in Rome, sharing the office with a ticket agent-so you would think it is legit. But they ripped off my friend for about 25%.
The problem is the Train Stations charge such a high rent that they are forced into poor overall rates - again in the UK shop around, some travel agents will exchange too they are about midpoint - does the Student Travel Association (STA) still do good rates?
@@highpath4776 STA went bust in the pandemic
Ah so Florence is not in Italy?
@@B0R0M1RIt is in Italy
I'm at prauge right now. Landed yesterday. Credit to this man. Not only i save my money, but he become my actual turist guied to his own nation. Loveing here in paruge. Everything seems so cool Royal palace everywhere. Thank you brother. We as a turst you.
Tourist industries of each country should pay you guys for the honest work you guys do
I hate the defence "what we do is legal" when did legality become the standard for judging morality.
Well said
I expect people being able to travel to other countries and specially to tourist destination like Florence to be able to make their own judgements. If not nothing wrong with exploiting them like rest of the tourist industry. If they fall for it they entirely deserve it. Fairly trading them out of their money might even be the moral way.
I recall china always love to claim they are conducting "LAWFUL" activities..... but never said they are "RIGHT"🤔
@@_Ekaros actually you don't seem to get it. Just because people are stupid enough to fall for it doesn't make it moraly acceptable.
If you want to be lazy and not check for a better rate then so be it
Never use money exchangers, go to government institutions that have the ability to exchange your money or go to a local bank, if you absolutely must have physical money. Otherwise, do exactly as Honest Guides advise, use your card.
Yeah when I traveled to Europe I'd go to a bank and pull out with my bank card..and it never back fired on me.
@@thecasualfly A lot of ATMs do the job very well ;)
Or use an international debit card linked to an app on your phone. There are quite a few but I use Wise & have done for over 5 years; it's been indispensable and you can change between currencies for a small fee. After your trip, you can convert it back again easily & the fees are so low you'll barely notice. It usually costs me less than £5 to convert £1000 & it's pro-rata, plus you get the mid-international exchange rate shown before you convert it. And you need less cash as you're paying most things by card at the local rate. And no, I'm not being paid for anything, there's other, similar apps/cards that I haven't used so can't talk about.
@@johnmurphy9550 Why would you change between currencies when using a card? I use my card internationally exactly as home in Norway. My bank simply do the exchange and takes it from my account, based on current rates.
One warning, though:
If the place where you use the card gives you the option to pay in your currency or local, ALWAYS choose local, else they're usually adding their own exchange fee, which can be quite high. My bank never charges any fees of any kinds for using my card abroad.
@@johnnymartinjohansen not all bank actually lets you do this kind of stuff its common in Europe but not everywhere my bank bock any foreign currency so if a payment in euro try to pass its will bounce if i want to buy in local currency i will have to change bank or get a credits cards
Me, an Italian: Somehow I am not surprised.
PS: Just as a heads up... As said in the video, when you come to Italy use your card. It is mandatory by law now for owners to let customers pay with card if they can't via cash, so if someone is throwing hissyfits or exuses, call the police. As a rule of thumb, ask if you can pay with your card before purchasing anything or sitting in a restaurant and if you can't, then walk straight outta there if you wanna avoid quarrels. They don't deserve your time and money. It s*cks, I know. Anyhow, I hope your holidays in Italy will be great!
What do you mean, that some of them won''t accept card payments not even from Italians?
@@irondasgr Italy has a pretty intensive cash culture, as long a shop could provide a receipt payment methods were at the owner discretion
Good to know that! Thank you!
Was this law around in 2009? I got a very hissy waiter in Venice that year who refused to take my card (thankfully my wallet had just enough coins and notes in it to cover the bill).
@@matthewleslie4448 Unfortunately the law is from 4ish years ago. But now every commercial activity is forced to accept payments by card. They face a fairly expensive fine if authorities find out they refuse to accept cards.
I really appreciate what you guys do to warn us about the tricks that scammers and hustlers use to prey on tourists travelling in Europe. This video about this exchange company in Florence has been especially helpful. Thanks so much.
We don't deserve you, Janek and Honza. You're just too good as human beings. Thank you for your courage and willingness to help thousands upon thousands of tourists!
Those rates are insane, 19.9% commission plus 9.9 euro fee !! Hopefully the word will get around, and everyone will know to avoid these scammers. Good work by Janek and Honza filming the video. The Italian government needs to bring in laws to stop these scammers, for example give customers a cooling off period in which time they can reverse the transaction.
Survive for 20 years, something is up. They let the government get the cut of the profit to stay in business
lol you want more government in europe!
This company has made an unfortunate decision. If they'd do nothing, they would be just one of the many bad exchange offices in Prague. (Thanks to the Honest Guide, most of them are shut now.) By filing a lawsuit, they made Honza and Janek cross, so that they came to Florence, to make this company famous.
EDIT - By threatening them, that they will file a lawsuit
Good for the people
They filed nothing, they just sent them a mail with a note: Do not make videos about us or we sue you.
They make 3 million a year from the 10 euro fee and based on their advertised 300,000 transactions a year, call it about 10 million euro in over the top commission, So they make 13 million a year, 36 branches, less than half a mil in revenue before costs and taxes per branch. Just a small player at this stage. The other 4% or so, they are entitled to keep.
Those exchange places are for idiots and theres a lot of them.
@@Pyrochemik007 Corrected it, thanks
@@1mmickk if the official exchange rate is 85€ for 100$, how much is fair for you?
Beware if you go to Lisbon airport and use the taxis that are lined up. I took one to a hotel nearby. They started with the meter on but when arriving they turned it off and then say their price which for me was more. I had filmed the whole 10 minute journey so later he gave up and dumped my stuff at the side. I had asked the hotel the price too and they helped me sort of.
Uber...People started using it and taxi drivers got very upset...I wonder why
Sounds like the mafioso-looking taxi drivers at Schipol when I last visited. All touristy places are full of opportunistic filth.
always use a uber over the local taxi service
If you go to another country use Uber. Can sometimes be more expensive but is more secure.
Why the f are you still using taxis,?
So proud of you!!!
Stand tall you are doing the right thing!!!
Dude I love you, small people like you that want to change the world for better are the best
I just came back from Prague two weeks ago for 10 days in Prague! BECAUSE OF YOUR VIDEOS, I was not scammed. I was very careful when choosing an ATM. Believe me I wouldn’t have known without your videos. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS. How can I give this a 100x like?
@Spartan Hegemony I would be happy to support what they do. However; I want you to understand that by not being scammed in Prague is not the same or even equal to ‘ I have saved money’ you got this all wrong or English is not your first language.
You can help just by sharing their videos ☺️
@@bbdesign779 why are you telling me how to help? I didn’t ask anyone on how I can help.
@@clam371384 you said how can I give this 100x like ? Yes I get you did not "ask "for help, omg, but maybe you can share it with others=which could equal to 100likes😆 Got it? Like be a nice person. I am not a native english speaker like you, but you are not the sharpest knife in a drawer. Glad you were not scammed in my birthtown, Honza and Janek are happy too!
Hey, sorry for intervening but I wanted to say that the confusion in this thread could stem from us Czechs being very literal. Like for example when people from english speaking countries say "how you doing?" or "you alright?" it's meant as a greeting, but if you ask Czechs these questions, they will literally tell you about their day. So the Czechs saw your "how can I give this 100x like?" question and thought you'd appreciate some suggestions, but to you it probably sounded like they're being rude and telling you you have to donate or share. 😅🇨🇿
i was in prague this past summer and i remembered so many of these videos so i wouldnt get scammed. great job guys, keep up the good work!
Kámo reálně se jmenuješ želva a hraješ si na angličana?
@@bewaffneterfrosch176 lol jop. protože ja jsem američanka ale studuju češtinu a slovenštinu =)
@@zelva6792 Tak to gratuluju. Chyba na mé straně.
I’m Italian, I follow you since years now… I’ve been to Prague twice and I loved your videos… now an episode in Italy? I’m so hyped 😂😂😂
Thx this simp for protect smart Chinese
It's kind of hilarious that you're hyped about a video on scams being made about your country but I'd be hyped too tbh 😂
I feel so bad for that family
I love watching these, i'm poor as hell and I can't afford to leave my town let alone visiting europe but watching scammers get rekt is fun lol
Dude do it one day if you can. I'm a black guy from Philly, poor as can be but I got to go to London on a community college trip for 2 weeks(paid like 800 including passport and was poor as fuck during the trip). London is close to America so it wasn't that radical but as someone that's only left his city very few times it felt great and refreshing to be away from it all and in a strange place. I even met one of my best online buds that's European.
@@genocidehero9687 dude im not American, our GDP per Capita is 10 times lower than you, $800 is like 3 or 4 months of my salary. When i said poor it means developing country kind of poor 😭
@@irun_mon That's perfectly understandable
@@irun_mon You have 69 likes right now. You want me to like too?
@@irun_mon if you are not american why would you say that you cannot visit Europe as if it was United and with the same history and culture
As i Italian,i really ashamed myself to have this kinda of "shit" in my country.
You Guys doing a great job
Thank you very much
Always on your side!!
Do not be ashamed and do something about it.
1) Piss on their place. Customers hate piss smelling shops, and those scammers will have to clean it (DOUBLE KILL). Even if you get caught by police, you will most likely end up just apologizing.
2) Then get a dog and train him to piss there. Every other passing dog will piss there too. They can´t prove you trained him to do it, dogs are unpunishable.
3) If you wish to invest money, buy an advertisement place, and hang a poster "scammers" pointing on their entrance.
4) Go around the nearby business owners, and organise them to warn people (they must be tired of hearing tourist fight with scammers every day, ruins their business too).
Filippo Spadoni if the official exchange rate for 100$ is 84€,how much is a fair exchange?
@@Pyrochemik007 Lol 🤣🤣🤣 Great ideas brother ✌️🤣🤣
@@andreiarama8745 In honest business there is a small fee, like 1 EUR, and 2% comission. So around 80 EUR is a good exchange. This service is not valued more.
@@Pyrochemik007 when a shop sells a sweater for 100€ they don't pay more than 20€ for it. After that they pay the taxes and depending on the country the shop makes on every 100€ around 50-60€ win. From that they need to pay the rent,the sales guy/woman, lights,and everything else. Now you tell me that who changes money should make 4€ every 100€,and another 4€ when they sell back that currency. Basically you tell me that this business from around 8€ every 100€ should pay rent(in top expensive places), employees,armed employees to take money to the bank,taxes and everything from this small amount of money? Think about it. Really think about it. If you had choice between opening an exchange shop like this with a a very expensive license,an to make like 4% profit, would you do it?
You're doing a great job in making people aware. I personally was ripped off by a cash machine in Prague and you pointed it out a few months after. I learnt my lesson, mainly through yourself. Great work
God bless these guys. I pray we have theae guys in every city. Wish there was a nobel prize for honesty and it sure goes to them
Which god, Ares or Anubis?
@@PROVOCATEURSK i leave it to your wisdom.
For religious folks god of your choice..... for atheist - two gentlemen whose action speak louder than words !! Or two folks making fraud on world zero
@@PROVOCATEURSK "god bless" is usually just a positive wish for someone
Here I was expecting the exchange employee to be a respectable person for agreeing to a meet up only for him to hit us with, “it’s your fault you got scammed because you were too dumb to read the warning that we were going to scam you”
I want this to have over 10 million views. It needs that kind of platform
I’m trying to imagine doing what you do in Los Angeles. It would be taking your life in your hands.
Your videos are so important. You’re helping countless visitors have the best visit possible. It’s too bad so many businesses who represent these destinations want to make sure visitors have a terrible time and that their actions will forever be the bad moments of their visits.
You two ARE the best!!
You see central EUrope is still not a multicultural paradise. But they are determined to get eventually there... (and don;t hold your breath that those Americans would even notice that they were practically robed)
I guess we are lucky that almost nobody owns guns here :)
What do they do in LA exactly?
@@wlpxx7 the petty criminals in LOs Angeles (especially East LA) tend to be unpredictable and very violent. I would think any efforts to thwart or expose them would be met with the most fierce show of violence they could manage.
@@boufontleflamingoetta8433 Oh please, its a scam not a robbery. Violence would be counter productive and draw way too much attention. Stand fast, and expose them.
Studying in Prague, living in a city up north that is way smaller. Even in a small Czech city, I can only think of one store I visited since moving here where I could not use card instead of cash. I think this goes for a lot of Europe too (Sweden, where I am from, is almost entirely cash free)
Appreciate all you do!
Even the small store in my parents' village (pop. 500) accepts cards.
Then you should come to Germany, even in big cities often no internet and how will you pay then with card, when there is no internet
Cash is the king
@@maiktheboener Yeah, Internet coverage in Germany can be abysmal in some places. I hope that improves because it's embarrassing.
Sorry but it's not 100% true. There are lots of stores which are not accept cards in Prague. For example small grocery stores (večerky), local beer pubs outside of tourist center, cafes in parks etc.
My husband was scammed by them.😠 I was not with him at the time, but found him in a pub close by, with a large beer in his hand, fuming with anger!😅 My husband was in finance! Just show you how slick these criminals are.😤
I visited Greece a few years ago and experienced this kind of highway robbery for cash exchange. I was a newbie and Easy Pickins thank you so much for your video I really appreciate what you're doing for all of us Travelers. But lots of Travelers are not armed with knowledge they travel infrequently and they are easy prey for these villains
First, thank you for your very informative and eye opening videos. I've learned to be a lot more careful when travelling overseas.
Second, it really shows how the legal system isn't necessarily a justice system when companies can operate under the guise of a legitimate business - which they legally are - but are in fact elaborate scams. Not much different than fraudulent accounting where money is being skimmed. And also the gaul that one cashier/scammer has to say it's the customers fault they didn't read the small print, when they make it small so it's hard to see! Great video and thanks for bringing awareness.
Well they saying it's legal doesn't mean it really is. For example this company was fined in Spain and the boss was disqualificated from serving as a director or manager in any payment or financial institution, and removal from the office of sole administrator.
This company almost disappear from the web, its website is - well - isn't a website, its income decreased of 80+ percent in the last two years, in 2020 It had a loss of 4M euros etc...
The bravery and honour of both these lads is such a privilege to witness. Never miss a video!
I've wondered how exchange offices can afford more locations today than 20 years ago despite fewer customers. Guess they over-charge so much per transaction that they don't require high volume! 😖
Love to see you in Florence. I feel so ashamed that these things don't get regulated properly
Italy is a beautiful country and their people are no different. Fighter spirit and a sense of honour where it matters. 🇹🇷❤️🇮🇹. I am sure Italians are happy that you take on scammers. They are all over the world.
Greece-Athens is not devoit of this as well, basically most places where there is lots of tourists you would get to record some videos.
Also, thanks for this, as this was one of the MOST constructive time i spent on youtube lately, and i know the stress and danger you guys put yourselves in for us.
I don't know what else to say, you are amasing and take care !
I follow you since three or four years ago, and think you’re awesome, and make a great job making Prague more popular, if that’s possible. This videos are great because as a simple tourist I think I have been scamed by this kind of people once or twice. They shouldn’t be allowed to operate in any place. But sometimes I’m worried for your security and feel fear for you. I think you are also very brave. Have you ever been menaced or attacked in a more serious or violent way? Please be safe, we all need more people like you.
14:06 When I had a trip to Estonia, and then to Latvia, I withdrew cash only once - it was necessary as not all places accepted credit cards. Please, listen to Janek and use your credit cards, and only exchange your money if there is no other way to pay for the thing you need. If you do need to exchange cash, always check the official rates, and ASK how much you can get BEFORE giving the cash to the cashiers. As you saw, you might not get it back
Hey Honest guide,
After visiting prague and being recommended to you some years back. I learned about the ATMs and the bad rates. When I visited Kroatia last September, I remembered your advice to never exchange money at EURONET atms or other dodgy atms. When I traveled to Pula I looked for an 'honest' atm. Literally on the opposite site of the street there was one still running on windows XP it seemed (due to the sound effects). It was I believe run by the Croation bank and I got a good rate out of it. I didn't even have to press the 'decline conversation'. I double checked with my bank account too.
Thanks for saving me money in Kroatia. I may have made a mistake back then in Prague but you taught me to not fall into future tourist traps anymore. So thank you
I fell for the same scam at a train station at Budapest 20 years ago. I have signed the paper, received the money and left the office. Outside I have realized the amount of money I have received and the super bad exchange rate that was applied. I was young and naive and never thought that people could do something like this without batting an eye.
I turned back to the office and asked what just happened. The cashier just showed me the small print: "the shown exchange rates are only valid above 1000EUR transaction value". Again, it was 20 years ago.
I told her that I didn't saw the small print, I would like to exchange at the shown rate. And guess what, she accepted my request. She probably took pity on me because I was just a kid, barely 40kg soaking wet.
Every major tourist city should have an Honest Guide!
Recently got approached on a street of Warsaw by a Czech scammer. I recognized his play after watching your videos. Saved my some time, and possibly a mistake and money too!
Thanks! Keep up the great work you are doing.
Cheers lads.
Even though I'm travelling through other parts of Europe, a lot of the Prague-specific advice on your channel translates to these cultures.
Appreciate the help~
after a long time i’ve decided to tune in to this channel again. and i’m so glad i did. the quality’s improved significantly and the great and informative commentary remained the same. i’m just amazed at how far they’ve come and hope they continue their journey the same way forward. a huge congratulations to the successes and to the 1 Million subs. keep up the great work guys.
A lot of love from Kampala Uganda 🇺🇬. As a guide in Uganda, I love what you are doing Honest Guide.
Threats written in crayons are the most terrifying, especially threats of lawsuits should be taken seriously, when done by hand in multi color font🤣
Thank you for great work. I visited Prague at the end of last year. Before that a friend warned: "don't change money in Czech Republic - they're scammers". See how such businesses can affect tourism so badly that some travellers can even feel unsafe and go somewhere else? But... someone allows them to operate.
Everything was nice in Prague and now a traveller's news site shared your video and that explains the warning.
Italy is becoming worse and worse for tourists. As an Italian i'm so sorry about it.
Go and piss on their shop at night. Customers do not go into piss smelling shops, and those scammers have to wash it.
But what you guys gonna do in nearly future ? I have lots of good Italian friends , don't care mind own business and that's it
The ATM point at the end is an important note - always either choose "decline conversion" or select _the local currency_ when asked. This results in _your bank_ converting the money, not the bank that operates the ATM. As you would expect, your bank will exchange the currency much more fairly than some random foreign bank who have no reason to care about how they treat you. Personally I have a card I can use abroad and exchanges using the Mastercard exchange rate with no extra fee. This results in me losing 0.1%-0.5%, depending on the currency and moment of exchange. Its usually around 0.2% when exchanging to euros which is beyond acceptable.
Some card can get any cash from cashmachine info is always online
Always read fine prints people!!!Your videos help millions of people. 🙏 and be safe out there.
This is great - everyone need to highlight this scammers. Honestly i never exchange cash, I use my debit or credit cards and just withdraw from cash machines paying no commission in Europe. But this is just awful - thanks a lot for helping a lot of us
Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s crazy how super defensive those employees are getting. Like, sometimes people work for shitty companies not because they share the same mindset or ideals or whatever, but because they NEED the money (e.g. have children, terrible job market, debts, etc). In these cases though it seems like the employees are totally supporting the tourist scamming.
Because it gets to your head. Unless you were a scum before you even started working there, then I would guess you wouldn't feel good during your first month of the job. But then you'd make excuses for yourself, "it's not that bad", "we're not scammers, we just charge for good service", "If they don't like it they can go to a different place" etc... If you repeat these lies every day for a long time you will start believing in them and move your moral line further and further away. And to be honest I wouldn't be suprised if they had a bonus based on how much they scam out of people.
Well if you NEED the money, just seize the means of production, expropriate the expropriators!
I wonder if they get a commission so it would be in their best interest to convince you it's not a scam? Still weird though
They probably don't want to get fired, people working these jobs don't usually have the luxury of being able to lose a job without a huge financial hit
@@mrDjuroman if you work at a scam place you don't deserve any respect.
They removed all their Google listings, and recreated them to wipe the slate clean!
So happy with the introduction of the euro that I don't have to deal with these agencies in Europe anymore.
REVOLUT has changed this game cuz you can have all major currencies in the world just in one account. This is simply genius!
I never trusted these exchange offices when I traveled somewhere, so I usually just set a budget for my trip, then exchange the money at my local bank a few days before traveling. I've encountered way too many scam attempts when traveling europe
Coming from Japan where we have a low tourist scam rate, it's crazy to think that the government let them do such a thing.
Eh? Just go to any slightly shadier street at night where they try to push you in the door by having beautiful poster girls and then take your money with ridiculously expensive drinks and threaten you with violence if you don't pay.
@@ruukinen but that's not the tourist scam I'm talking about. They target everyone including the residents.
@@211teitake So you are saying Japan is so much better since scams, that mainly target foreigners or people who aren't familiar with the area, aren't exclusively targeting foreigners?
You do realize these people take money from any local dumb enough to use their services as well?
Hearing about Japanese banking system, I wouldn't be so sure...
@@MrMajsterixx Yeah but we are comparing here to Italy and I don't necessarily agree that Japan is morally superior to Italy. The Japanese 'justice' system for example is morally backwards in many ways compared to Italy while Italy has a very loose fiscal policy. I don't know how you suddenly pulled in India.
Amazing video. I wish u could get a legislation modification as you did in Prague so exchange bureaux must give you your money back in the 3 hours after the transaction took place. It should be an European standard. Great work!
I travel a lot and I do a lot of research when doing exchanges, it mind blowing to see how many people don't look into it before doing an exchange.
I wish I had seen this video months ago. It is incredible that you can have your money openly stolen simply having a notice that says that the will steal it. The cynicism of these cashiers!
I went to Spain in the summer to visit my sister. Laterally everything from taxis to supermarkets to restaurants to even small kiosk stores in the streets accept Apple Pay and GPay. Just make sure your credit and debit cards have no foreign transaction fee and you're golden. I exchanged a couple hundred dollars to euros at my bank in small bills to use as tips ect..
Sent this to my Grandparents who are planning a visit to Italy and specifically Prague as well. Hopefully with this advice they won't get scammed now. Thank you!
Ive never trusted any change offices. I'd always needed to check the current rate on the Internet and then I was making decision- ok, this is good. And I always was little bit upset when I found a better rate somewhere else 😅 (I could save around 60 cents on 100 euro exchange, but still worth it 😂)
One of the most useful travel channels on TH-cam. Thank's!
I stopped exchanging money years ago...there's no reason to pay cash. Thank you for the good work and please be safe!!
You don't know how helpful this video is for me.
I'm from Turkey, I was saving money for an Interrail trip for two years. Of course, Prague was on my list and I've watched your channel regularly. But this year our currency basically crashed and I had to switch my plans from 3 weeks of the entire Europe from 2 weeks of Italy. NOW YOU ARE IN ITALY EXPOSING SCAMMERS, LIKE HOW?!?! THANK YOU!!!
Your currency did not crush, your goverment made it crush.
@@Pyrochemik007 Yeah lol, I'm not the one voting for them and I would never vote for them.
@@Pyrochemik007 which basically still implies that it crashed right?
@@osnariderz5075 It is the difference between a vase breaking, and a cat knocking it off the shelf.
I took this whole thing to the other extreme:
When I moved in New Zealand for a year I travelled there with all my money in cash. Since it was quite a lot, I of cause wanted to get the best exchange rate. So i spent the whole first day walking around Auckland to all the exchanges to see which one had the best rate. Visited about 10 places and picked the one with the best rate.
haha and than you would find out the fee is 20 percent :D
@@meduzak you always ask I have 1000 (non-local) , how much local will I get ?
Didn't you have an exchange office in your home nation? Unless there are none for new Zealand currency.
@@flamesofjihad4069 Interesting. Most Local Currency is, Local, so to buy it in a third or ones own country, it has to be bought in , or from a stock of previous trades. Conversely in NZ they will end up with lots of overseas currency that they either have to re sell or bank back to that country. Both differences carry costs, the point being at any time, which one has the lowest overall costs (USD for example pretty much tradeable anywhere and tend to be in good demand so less difference in prices in any one country)
@@highpath4776 That makes sense .
Jesteś Najlepszy. 👊👊🇵🇱👍
This is honestly just good advice for traveling in general, too. Some peopleay not be aware of how a scam can manifest because they probably have never been scammed in any form
Because they have never realized they have been scammed*
Looking forward to it. I've been living in Prague for almost a year and Janek & Honza have definitely helped me navigate my way through this beautiful city with clearer eyes. Keep up the amazing work guys.
- "this is you ?"
- "no"
- "Oh my bad i guess you are one of his clones that casually wears a Patek Philippe Nautilus that cost a fortune."
Ιt's sad that they really do not violate any law, yet they base their audacity mainly on tourist/US American gullibility. But being a naive drifter has ultimately a price to pay. (Unfo Italy, unlike the Czech Rep., would never enact a law according to which you could have your money back up to 3 hours after the transaction, at your own discretion of course).
Totally support you and anyone who stands for what's right ✅ these so called businesses got away with it for so long
Honest guide, I am begging you pls travel around Europe and make more this kind of videos. You are the best
Great video.. This is what real journalism looks like. Thanks for making this 🙂
I love your channel and the things you do to expose tourist traps like these. Keep it up!
Thanks for sharing and warning the world of the crooks and scammers!
I never go travel in Europe and there's little chance I would, but I still appreciate the good service you are providing people. Keep up the good work man.
I came upon your channel by chance as I have travelled a lot when I was younger and fortunately was wise to many scams. I like your channel because you are not afraid to tackle these important issues most people could not tackle . As well as learning something new your channel Is very entertaining and makes me laugh . I also enjoy the cultural bits you show like learning certain words in your language and showing that your beautiful city has been let down by scammers . Thank you for a very interesting channel.
Keep up the good work guys! Keep exposing all the scammers and thieves and continue to make your beautiful country more safe and enjoyable for all tourists and visitors! 🙏☺️
Thanks to expose those things that ruin the experience of visiting other countries. Next time I go to Florence I'll spend sometime in front of one of those exchange office to tell tourist's to not go there.
Gust to have some fun 😊
Get some information printed and hand it out to the tourist outside the money exchange offices , telling to go to the post office to exchange their money and show the big difference more they will get when they exchange their money at the post office .
Telling people the truth is not a sin .
Honest guide got me setting up an alarm for this,can’t wait tho🙃
Lol
Prague, #1 issue was finding a decent exchange place, so many tourist traps there, good on you guys!
Thank you for the honest and eye-opening video.
I got scammed like this in Sydney, Australia in 2000 as the country was hosting the summer Olympics.
0:12 as an Italian I can assure you that ice cream is a tourist trap! :( I mean maybe it tastes decent but ice creams with those bright colours and fancy presentations are usually shitty quality and factory made. The best ones are usually the ones stored in aluminium cylinders with a lid on top where you can't actually see the ice cream
It's always best as a tourist to ask foreigners wht the best e.g. Ice cream place/Restaurant/whatever is than to just go by reviews. Literally everywhere in the world you will be able to find people that are nice and honest enough to spend a few minutes of time to tell you what the best place is.
@@osnariderz5075 I run some Airbnbs and I provide a detailed guide I personally made where I suggested pretty much "the best" of everything in the area.
Signorelli wears Patek Philippe Nautilus watch..... approx. 150.000 EUR