Common Greek Scams To Watch Out For

Some people think that going on holiday means everything is safe and you’ll have a great time but that just isn’t the case. It doesn’t matter where in the world you end up, you need to be careful you don’t get scammed out of your holiday spending money and it can happen, we’ve seen that first hand.

We’ve been to Greece several times now and we loved it all, apart from the very apparent scams. One thing that’s evident in Greece, they try and hide a scam in plain site which means a lot more people fall for it, which quite frankly sucks. It’s one of the reasons you need to be on the look out for Greek scams because you might not see them coming until it’s too late.

We mainly visited Zakynthos when we went to Greece but we did Island hop and it was evident that the scams weren’t just local to one island so expect them wherever you go in Greece, the tourist scams in Greece are everywhere!

Common Scams In Greece

This part of the post is going to cover the most common Greece tourist scams, the ones you’re more likely to come across on a daily basis and trust me everyone visiting Greece at some point will come across one of these scams but the trick is to know what to do in that situation and we’re pros at spotting and shutting down scams!

You have to also remember that restaurant scams in Greece aren’t always the fault of the restaurant, sometimes they can’t stop someone from coming in and giving out “gifts” with huge price tags all the time.

Greek Restaurant Scams

When it comes to Greek scams you’ll find most of them take place within restaurants and some might not be as obvious as you think. Some might not even look like scams until you get the bill and you’re left gobsmacked! Take a look at these scams tourists have to deal with in Greece!

After all, nobody wants to go out and get some great food and then be worried about restaurant scams in Greece, do they!?

Bread Scam

The bread scam is one most tourists should be familiar with if they’ve ever been to any Greek island. Toward the start of your meal a restaurant worker will be very friendly and they will put a basket of bread on your table, and maybe some bottled water as well. They will make it seem like they’re being nice, maybe even make it look like a freebie, but it isn’t.

The Greek bread scam entices you to eat whatever bread you want and not think about it. Then when your meal is over you’ll have a charge normally around €10 on your bill for the bread, sometimes more if they gave you anything else. If this happens, refuse it, unless you want to pay a hiked up price for some bread.

The Menu Scam

The menu scam is a new scam that Greek people are trying out and it’s one of the tourist scams in Greece that is becoming an issue. When you order your meal you’ll have a menu with set prices, you might even order something because you know it’s in your budget which a lot of people do.

At the end of your meal, you will get a bill which is probably a lot more than what you had in mind and if you challenge this you’ll be given a menu with totally different prices on it and there’s nothing you can do about it. Our suggestion would be to make it look like you’re taking pretty pictures of the menu and their table layout at the start, however, make sure you photograph what you’re going to be ordering so you have the price right there on your phone!

Restaurant Toy Scam

If you’ve been to Greece before you might be aware of this, it’s one of the most common scams in Greece. If someone comes around the restaurant and they’re putting toys or “gifts” on the table, say no thank you straight away and wave your hand so they can’t put anything on the table.

If you don’t and if you pick anything up, it’s yours now and you have to pay for it. A lot of restaurants won’t step in to help you because they get a cut of whatever they make. You can best believe the rubbish they put on your table is straight out of the pound shop and will probably cost you around €10-€15!

Greek Nightlife Scams

These Greece tourist scams are more common on the party islands such as Zakynthos. Zante nightlife scams are rife in the area and if you’re visiting the island for a party, be careful because you might get more than you bargained for and we’re not just talking about the common STD if you don’t wrap up warm!

Zante Fake Trip Scam

Be very careful where you spend your money. There are a lot of vendors on Zante who are ready to sell you tickets, sorry, fake tickets to tours or events that aren’t real. You’ll maybe think you’re getting a great deal and then when the day comes you’ll have no event and you won’t be able to get your money back.

If you’re looking at buying tickets for anything when you’re in Zante make sure you go to a reputable company. Don’t find someone on social media, find them on Tripadvisor, Google them and find out what others have to say about them. You don’t want to go on holiday and purchase some grade A fake Zakynthos tickets.

Zante Free Bar Scam

Never trust a free bar. I have heard loads of cases where people have been sold tickets to an event with a “Free bar”. These people go and they expect to be drinking all night. You’ll either have no free bar or it will have a two drink limit per hour, don’t be fooled with this scam because it’ll wreck your night.

If you want to know more about these scams, check out the Zante Nightlight Guide, they have loads of information on Greek scams that target party tourists, we don’t go on holiday to party so we aren’t totally clued up in these areas.

More Tourist Scams In Greece

Scams in restaurants and scams that target nightlife crowds are the worst when it comes to Greece, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any other scams to look out for. It’s bad that we spend thousands to go on holiday only to then make sure we don’t get scammed but that’s the way the world works and it’s better to be prepared.

Greek Taxi Scam

This has to be one of the most common scams in Greece I can think of, it’s also a very popular scam in many European countries. Always book your transfers in advance, make sure you have someone picking you up at the airport and that it’s all pre-paid. Otherwise, a €25 trip might cost you €60 instead.

The Greek Free Gift Scam

Nothing is free in life and that’s the same with this Greek scam. If someone offers you a rose, bracelet or a gift on the street, do not take it. This mainly happens at night but it’s not unheard of for it to take place during the day.

The most common instance will be a woman giving out roses, once you’ve taken it you’ll be expected to fork over €10 for it and you have no chance of giving it back as they won’t accept it, you’ve already taken it after all. A polite, no thank you will normally work. You’ll soon see their faces shift and they’ll be looking for their next target.

If You Break It You Buy It

This one might not seem like a scam and I’m not sure if I’d say it’s a scam or just a very annoyed shop owner. If you go shopping, be careful where you fling your arms or swing your bag. I’ve known someone who broke a shot glass that’s priced at €5 and then get charged €15 because that’s what the shop owner charged them.

Common Greek Scams – Know Anymore?

I hope this post was helpful and that you can enjoy your holiday to Greece a little more without feeling like you’re about to lose all the money in your pocket. If you know any other common tourist scams in Greece, let us know and we’ll be sure to add them.

If you’re ever unsure of anything you can let us know. Also, check out Tripadvisor where loads of people give their opinion as there are bound to be answers on there about Greek scams on tourists that we wouldn’t have covered.