What scams should I watch out for in Amsterdam?

Pickpockets are the primary threat, concentrated on Centraal Station platforms, the trams (lines 2, 12, and 24 most reliably), and the Damrak tourist strip. Work in pairs: one distracts, one lifts. Keep your wallet in a front pocket or use a neck pouch for passports. The "friendship bracelet" hustle runs around Leidseplein and Vondelpark, where someone ties a bracelet on your wrist before demanding payment. On Damrak and near the Heineken Experience, unofficial currency exchange kiosks advertise strong rates then bury fees in the fine print; use a GWK Travelex bureau or just pull euros from an ABN AMRO or ING ATM. Fake or overpriced concert tickets are sold near Paradiso and Melkweg on weekends. In the Red Light District, photographing sex workers is illegal and locals will enforce that physically. Taxi drivers operating outside the official TCA dispatch system frequently overcharge tourists leaving Centraal; book via the Uber app or the blue TCA cabs exclusively.

Trip Friend knows Amsterdam cold.

Plan a real trip there, and Trip Friend can answer every follow-up — with your dates, your style, and your places baked into the conversation.

• Where do locals actually go for aperitivo in Amsterdam?
• Where do locals drink coffee in Amsterdam?
• What does a local breakfast look like in Amsterdam?
• Where is the street food in Amsterdam actually good?
• Where can I eat after midnight in Amsterdam?
• How do I get from the airport to the city in Amsterdam?