Common Tourist Scams in Lisbon (and How to Avoid Them)
Pickpocket reality and tram 28
- The pattern: organised pickpocket teams work the tourist arteries; tram 28 the highest-density route per PSP statistics. Distraction theft (someone bumps you while a partner picks); bag-snatch from chair-backs in cafés; phone-from-table in the Time Out Market.
- Tram 28 protocol: phone in front pocket; wallet in front pocket; bag in front of you across the chest; sit if you can (boarding/exit standing is high-vulnerability). Tram 12 and 24 cover much of the same Alfama route with far fewer pickpockets.
- The other hotspots: Belém Tower queue, Jerónimos Monastery queue, Time Out Market crowding, Rossio Square, Praça do Comércio after fireworks/events.
- Café/restaurant defence: bag between your feet or on your lap, never on a chair-back or hung from a hook. Phone in pocket, never on the table.
- Metro pickpocket: lower than the trams but present on line 4 (Green, through Praça do Comércio area); standard discipline.
- If picked: file denúncia at any PSP esquadra — required for insurance; the Tourism Police office at Praça dos Restauradores is English-speaking, 24/7.
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