San Francisco scams: what to watch for

Ranked by how much they cost a typical visitor, not by how often they are talked about. The first two are the ones that turn a good trip into a police report.

Car break-ins are the number one loss for visitors. Rental cars parked at the Palace of Fine Arts, Lands End, Twin Peaks, Fisherman's Wharf garages and trailhead lots get windows smashed for bags, cameras and even a jacket on the seat. The fix is simple: nothing visible, ever, and prefer a paid garage with an attendant over street parking.

The clipboard or petition approach is the classic street distraction. Someone asks you to sign for a cause, a second person works your bag or phone, or the 'signature' page is a donation demand. It clusters around Powell and Market, Union Square and the Wharf. Keep walking, keep your hand on your bag.

Alcatraz is the ticket scam. The island is served by one official concessioner; resellers and 'skip the line' bundles add fees or sell vouchers that still need a real reservation. Book direct, well ahead, and treat any street or kiosk seller as a red flag.

You do not need to avoid these areas, just know that they are where the approaches happen. All are on the tourist circuit and busy enough that you can simply keep moving.

Powell and Market, plus the cable car turnaround, is the highest-density spot for petition and three-card style approaches. Union Square and the surrounding blocks are second. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 get the bracelet and petition variants, plus pickpocketing in crowds. Chinatown's Grant Avenue gate is the fake-monk spot. Golden Gate Park and the Palace of Fine Arts are car-break zones rather than street-scam zones.

The Tenderloin, a few blocks south of Union Square, has open drug use and street disorder; it is not a tourist scam area but it is where visitors feel least comfortable after dark. Walk around it or through it in daylight with purpose, not at 2am.

The single best defence is a short, flat 'No, thanks' and continued walking. Scammers pick targets who stop and engage. You do not owe anyone a conversation on the street.

Carry your bag across your body with the zip facing you, and keep your phone in a front pocket, not a back one and not in your hand while you look at a map. At restaurants, keep your bag on your lap or hooked to your leg rather than over the chair back.

Pay with a card or phone where you can; if you need cash, use an ATM inside a bank branch during opening hours. Decline 'helpful' strangers at the machine. For transit, load a Clipper card or use the official app rather than buying anything from a person on the street.

If something does happen: call 911 for anything in progress or violent. For a stolen wallet, file a police report (you will need it for insurance and for replacing ID), then cancel cards and freeze your credit. Keep a photo of your passport and card numbers somewhere separate from the originals.