Shoe Shine Scam Artist

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This is a scam we encountered during a recent trip to Istanbul. Basically, these scam artists have a hand carried tote with shoe polishing and cleaning supplies. On the back of their tote, there is a brush held on by a small hook. When the guy is walking he uses the back of his leg to knock the brush off in front of you and onto the ground. When the unsuspecting victim picks up the brush and hands it back to the show shine guy, the show shine guy is very appreciative and offers to clean your shoes for being so nice. Sixty seconds later, the shoe shine guy proceeds to tell you that you owe him $20 because he just cleaned your shoes.

I apologize for the shaking video but it was difficult to hold my phone.

This video was filmed in Istanbul, Turkey.

This video was recorded on a Samsung Galaxy S4. Adobe Premiere Pro (CC) via Adobe Creative Cloud was used to edit the video and provide color/contrast/level correction. Video was exported using the YouTube HD 1080p 29.97 fps setting.

Video/Audio Copyright Swirling Goat.

25 Comments on “Shoe Shine Scam Artist”

  1. Hahaha I read about this scam before going to Istanbul. Once I arrived, I walked and enjoyed the spectacle of people trying to pull it off. On a single walk into Taksim Square, these guys would “drop their brushes” four or five times alone while I was walking behind them. One man got suckered in to  a  shining for his Crocs… It’s tough to warn people when they don’t speak your language though :[

    1. Yeah, it is hilarious to watch them work in trying to find a target. If you look like a tourist, guaranteed they will ‘drop their brush’ in front of you, lol. If I ever go back to Istanbul, I need to find a way to have fun with them 🙂

  2. so how do they manage to make the brushes fall without even touching them??

    1. The brush is just barely on their basket. When they walk, they let the back of their leg hit the brush just enough to make it fall.

    2. I think actually the strap has a thin strand of string that you can’t see, which they hold with their thumb and when they let go the brush falls.

    1. Dat 1 Song
      After you tell him you have dropped the brush he will come to you and give your shoes a shine as reward then he will begging of you 50 Lirah around 15 USD and tell you that his mom is in the intensive care and and yeah

    2. If anyone is stupid enough to watch them shine your shoes for 60 seconds, then I guess you really do owe them because: YOU LET THEM DO IT!
      If you don’t want it then just say NO and walk away. Easy.

    1. Holy Land Hellas
      10 days in Turkey, cost as much as 30 days in Austria or Switzerland not to mention the psycho people there starting from the airport of Ataturk

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