Common Tourist Scams in Roma Norte, Mexico City (and How to Avoid Them)
Petty crime — what to actually plan against
- Phone snatching: low-volume but present, especially on Álvaro Obregón terraces at peak Friday/Saturday evening. Pattern: phone on the café table, passer-by leans across and grabs.
- Bag-on-chair-back theft: especially at the popular brunch spots (Niño Viejo, Lardo, Bel-fiore). Bag in your lap or strapped around the chair leg.
- ATM scams: some standalone ATMs near tourist areas have skimmers. Use ATMs inside banks (Banorte, Santander, BBVA branches) during opening hours.
- Uber/Didi vs street taxis: stick to Uber/Didi/Cabify; street taxi rides at night have a thin but real pattern of "secuestro express" (express kidnapping) where drivers extort multiple ATM withdrawals. Roma Norte hotels exclusively dispatch app cabs in 2026.
- Apartment-rental scams: a small problem at the Airbnb pinch-point — the property exists but the host charges undisclosed extras. Book through verified Airbnb / VRBO listings with recent reviews.
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