ADVISORY TO US CITIZENS ON TOURIST SCAMS AND THEFT

US citizens planning to travel to Hungary should acquaint themselves with a common tourist scam and with areas with a high incidence rate of theft. Since we would like you to have an enjoyable trip to Hungary, this advisory is issued in the hope that with advance warning, you can avoid potential theft situations. The overwhelming majority of Americans have had pleasant, incident-free stays in Hungary.

CLUBS and RESTAURANTS

There are clubs and restaurants in Budapest about which the US Embassy has received numerous complaints from US citizens for engaging in unethical business practices. Victims have filed reports with the Embassy describing the following practices: excessive billing of customers, physical intimidation to force customers to pay exorbitant bills (including holding a member of a party while others in the group pay the bill at ATMs, 24-hour cash facilities), and assault by club/restaurant employees for non-payment of excessive bills.

Further, Do NOT let seemingly helpful taxi drivers or local women lure you to an establishment that they recommend - they may receive a commission for bringing victims to the club/restaurant. It is also advised that you not patronize clubs/restaurants that do not list prices or provide a menu with prices. Under NO circumstances should you order food or beverage services without first verifying the cost of requested services.

American citizens are strongly urged to avoid these clubs and restaurants due to multiple reports of victimization received by the Embassy:

City Center Club & Rest. (same owner as Mephisto Café) V. district, Váci utca 16
Mephisto Café V. district, Váci utca 2
Nirvana (formerly known as Lola Club) V. district, Szent István körút 15
(next door to Henry J. Beans Pub)
The Black & White Club (formerly known as Tropical Bar) V. district, Galamb utca 3
Fontana Cabaret V. district, Váci utca 11/a, 11/b
La Dolce Vita V. district, Október 6. utca 8
Flashdance V. district, Váci utca 32
Piccolo (Eszpresszo/Drink Bar) V. district, Párizsi udvar 2

Lastly, the Embassy has received reports of attacks in the Chain Bridge area on the Pest and Buda sides of the Danube, and on the bridge itself. American citizens are advised to take note of their surroundings as they tour the city.

If you have been the victim of any incident, scam or theft, it is highly recommended that you either file a police report or report the incident to the US Embassy. The United States Embassy is located at Szabadság tér 12; 1054 Budapest. The US Embassy's telephone is: 475-4400; fax: 475-4188.

The Hungarian Ministry of Economic Affairs has announced the inauguration of a special telephone number for tourists to use if they have been a victim of personal crime while in Hungary. Police personnel with foreign language capability, including English, are on duty from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week. Outside of these business hours, your call to this special number is automatically forwarded to an alternate number, where you can still file your complaint or report. Victims of personal crimes, such as thefts, scams, overcharges, abuses or molestations while in Hungary are strongly encouraged to report all such incidents.

The telephone number is: 438-8080; the forwarding number is: 06-80-66-00-44.

There is also a 24-hour Police Tourinfo office that provides service in English and in German and is located in one of downtown Budapest's busiest tourist areas: Vigadó utca 6, 1051 Budapest.

MONEY and PASSPORTS

One common scam usually occurs in tourist areas and involves a "money-changer" and two "undercover policemen." In this scam, a tourist is approached by a man who asks if s/he would like to change money. If the tourist says, "No, thank you," the man will leave. A minute or so later, two men (sometimes of intimidating size and demeanor) in plainclothes will approach the tourist. The two men will openly display their false police badges or "police identification cards," and request to see all of the tourist's money - the money the tourist might have changed with the first man. At this point, the money will be handled by the two men and then replaced in the tourist's wallet. Only, not all the monies are replaced - the small bills are put back in the wallet and later, the tourist will learn s/he has been robbed of the larger denomination dollar and/or forint bills. By the time the loss is discovered, the team of three men will have escaped. There are variations of this scam and one of them involves questioning by these "undercover policemen" of the tourist about drugs and eventually leads to seeing the tourist's wallet.

Hungarian police are generally in uniform and do not deal with tourist money changing issues. Tips on avoiding the above scam are: turn away and head in another direction after being approached by the first man; tell them you'd like to consult with another police officer patrolling the area; or tell them you'd like to call the US Embassy.

Another potential scam may occur while driving on the motorways. This one involves someone who attracts your attention by saying that there is something wrong with your car (i.e. a smoking hood, or a flat tire) in order to encourage you to pull over to the shoulder of the highway. Once you are pulled over, while you are busy inspecting the aforementioned trouble, these scamsters will take your purse, etc. out of the car, or even the car itself, and drive away.

Prime theft areas involve crowds of people, where it is easier to distract the unsuspecting tourist. Train stations, trains, trams and metros are full of people and present many opportunities for the thief. Do not leave purses and luggage unattended at any time - all it takes is one unguarded moment and the thief will have what he is after: your money and/or US passport. The US Embassy has received numerous theft reports from these areas: all train stations - in particular, Keleti Station; metro lines #1 and #3; tram lines #2 and #4; bus line #7; and American fast food places like McDonald's and Burger King.