13 Easiest Scams to Make Money on the Street

All ye gullible tourists out there, beware of these 13 easiest scams to make money on the street. These are super easy scams to make quick cash, and you can lose your possessions before you know it!

It’s incredible what people won’t come up with in order to earn some cash with minimum effort. The “minimum effort”, unfortunately, usually implies illegal activities. But, it has to be noted, con artists are really creative. There are usually two cards they play: your emotions or your lack of attention. For this reason, there are lots of easy cons in which the fraudster appears to be poor and unfortunate. As well as that, you’ll see it’s only too easy to distract a person in the street, especially if the scammer is operating with “colleagues”.

So, we’re going to have some of the best street hustles revealed to you. Perhaps you have already been scammed, but you weren’t aware of it. As a matter of fact, we have here some legal scams to make money, too. If someone offers you a product, it’s up to you whether you wish to buy it or not, right? Of course, this is the essence, but it is a kind of a devious trick, as you shall see later.

In order to find the best con artist tricks to make money easily, we roamed through Crimes of Persuasion, Jenkem Magazine, Bicycle Touring Pro, How Suff Works and Wise Bread. We found some excellent suggestions and ranked them according to the feasibility of the trick. First of all, the fewer things you need for the con, the better. If it doesn’t require you running fast or being extra skilled, even better. Also, the hustles which require a helper are at the bottom. It’s not always easy to find a person you can trust, right?

In case you’re wondering about some incredibly easy cons to make money online, you can find some of them in our article about 11 best illegal hustles to make money fast. As for some easy scams on Reddit, it appears a lot of users had issues with Windows Tech Support, i.e. the scam when the con artist introduces themselves as a staff member and asks all types of personal information (address, passwords, credit card numbers…) so as to “protect your computer system” from viruses and so on. The world of online purchases has also made a fertile ground for how to make money scamming on eBay, and you should be very careful about it. For instance, there are a lot of examples when you send an item to the bidder, e.g. a designer bag, but he/she complains about the quality. The money sent is immediately frozen until they send you back the package. The moment it is sent, they get their money back. Unfortunately, you may end up with a fake, or you get your item back, but in really bad shape.

So, are you ready for your instructions/warnings? Here are 13 easiest scams to make money on the street!

13. Streetfighterhter scam

So, you are walking along, minding your own business, when suddenly, you run into an uneven fight and you try to help the victim. In a matter of seconds, the victim and the “abusers” are asking for money, or else they will accuse you of hurting the “victim”!

12. Flat tire fraud

In one version of the events, you see a motorist or a car with a flat tire, and you stop to help (while the accomplices raid your vehicle for valuables). In the other, you get a flat tire due to some objects on the road (put there on purpose), and some “helpful” locals stop by to have a look at it. And rob you while you’re focused on the tire.

11. Fake officer scam

Scammers love this one, as it is especially fun (no doubt). You just need the right attitude, something resembling a police badge, or maybe even a uniform. Basically, a victim is stopped as it appears they have made certain offenses, but it can all be solved with a little bribery.

10. Currency swap scam

This one requires that a con artist has something to sell, such as souvenirs, but it works like a charm. They fool you by giving you money which only resembles the currency of the country. For example, Russian ruble and Chinese yen look alike, but one is more valuable than the other. This basically works because people are too much focused on the banknote number, not the exact looks of it, making this one of the easiest scams to make money on the street.

9. Magic switch scam

This one takes place so fast you are unable to do anything about it if only you decide to give in to your greed. Namely, we all know in certain countries it is possible to get cheap merchandise under the table. In this scenario, a con artist stops you and tries to sell you a genuine camera/sunglasses/perfume (in a bag or a box) at an extremely low price. You agree, hand over the money, and they leave you with a box filled with some rubbish. One moment is enough to replace the original with some fake stuff or papers, depending on the weight. Indeed, the switch takes place so fast you’re unable to spot it.

8. Melon drop scam

Tourists are usually looking all around and commonly bumping into people. However, some people might be carrying expensive champagne or scotch bottles, or even melons (they can be very expensive in Japan, hence the name). The melons are dirt cheap, and the bottles are filled with cheap liquor (the bottles can be taken from high-end restaurant dumpers). Of course, the person carrying is furious and the tourists pay a high price for the inconvenience.

7. 3-card Monte trick

Never, ever are you to get involved in this. There is just no way you can win unless you’re an artful scammer. Whichever of the three cards you choose, you will never be able to get the right one – they are switched too fast.

6. Lost tourists scam

This is when you feel betrayed by your own kind. In short, you are approached by two tourists who appear to be lost and in desperate need of some help. What they are desperate for are your belongings, which are easy to snatch as they get very close to you while asking for assistance. Hence this is definitely one of the easiest scams to make money on the street.

5. Snatch and run

The mother of them all. As a scammer, you should be pretty fast and a good runner. Snatching the bag off someone’s shoulder or hand and running like hell is the oldest trick in the book.

4. Red light run scam

Be very careful when driving the streets of an unknown town and stopping at the traffic lights. Thieves have a habit of opening your door and snatching the purse, phone, or whatever it is at hand, and then making a run for it.

3. Poor grandma scam

This one requires no props, but you should be of proper age, and female, obviously, so it has its limitations. Hence the third place in the list of easiest scams to make money on the street. There are lots of examples of an old lady wandering the parking lot and asking random people for money to buy some gas for her car.

2. Free gift fraud

This one is similar to the first one, but it involves a little prop. Ideally, a victim is walking down the street when a con artist approaches and gives them a card/beige or any present of low value. The key is to remain persistent in asking for money in return for the “precious” gift.

1. Good ol’ begging

When discussing easiest scams to make money on the street, nothing beats begging. All you need is a street, a piece of cardboard and a pencil, and you’re good to go. Just scribble a funny note such as “Ninjas kidnapped my family” or “Need money for beer”, and you’ll surely get some cash.