More Riga-style tourist swindles reported in Tallinn

Bulk of reports to police concern two new striptease joints

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There have been increasing reports of fraud targeting tourists in the Estonian capital Tallinn, similar to those disclosed in recent months in the Latvian capital Riga.
      Finnish officials have learned of 17 cases of credit card fraud in Tallinn in June alone.
      Most of the complaints concern two newly-opened clubs in the city’s Old Town, where touts encourage male tourists to come in.
      In some cases, a customer has been asked to type in the PIN number twice, effectively forcing him to pay the same bill twice.
      The number of cases of credit card fraud in Tallinn is not very large, considering the sizeable number of Finns visiting the city. Officials are nevertheless worried about the spread of this model of crime.
     
In strip clubs, customers are sometimes seriously overcharged for drinks. Competition appears to have become more intense in the business, and advertising has become more aggressive.
      For instance, scantily-clad women have appeared on the streets of the Old Town. Distributors of flyers have also appeared on the streets, and touts are increasingly used to entice new customers, who are often already fairly well loaded and hence a soft target for fraud and creative billing.
      A few years ago the Estonian police cracked down on the sex trade in the capital, but it would appear some kind of comeback is in progress.
     
The Estonian Ministry of Justice says that the crime rate has increased in Estonia, which is also reflected in the number of crimes in which Finns are victims. The trend stems from both the increase in the number of tourists and the overall weakening of the economic situation.
      In Tallinn, the reported crimes focus on two streets - Mere puistee in the harbour area and Virukatu in the Old Town.
      In the case of credit card fraud, the damage is usually not spotted until the tourist victim returns home, and there have been few reports of thefts of this kind to the local Tallinn police.
     
Finns nevertheless generally feel that Tallinn is a safe place to visit.
      “It feels safe, because there are many different kinds of people moving about. People eat late in outdoor cafes, and there is an international feeling here”, says Heli Willman who had come to Tallinn with a group of friends from Kuopio and Tampere.
     


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Suspected tourist-trap bars in Latvian capital reopen under new names (5.8.2009)
  Tourists warned of dangers lurking in Latvian capital (27.4.2009)

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