- 6/30/2025
As nighttime falls, the scam artists emerge from the shadows, preparing for a long night of work in Amsterdam. Conor is on the prowl.
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00:00They're the world's greatest cities. Famous for their culture and beauty.
00:06But there's something else waiting in the shadows.
00:09The scammers, the hustlers, the thieves.
00:12And they're all looking for tourists to con.
00:15State against the what? Russian roulette. Are you joking me?
00:19I'm Connor Woodman, and in Scam City, I set myself up as bait.
00:23This is like being kidnapped.
00:25A willing victim to be fleeced.
00:27I'll catch the scammers in the act.
00:30Do you know where my wallet is? I don't know.
00:31And reveal the tricks of the trade.
00:33Sorry, I'm not talking about that.
00:35Because why? It's too dangerous.
00:36And I'll expose them face to face.
00:39We are filming you scamming me.
00:41Scam City. I get scammed, so you don't have to.
00:51Police. Police.
00:52What have I done to you?
00:54I'm in Amsterdam, and things have taken an unexpected turn.
01:00I'm in Amsterdam, and things have taken an unexpected turn.
01:01I'm in Amsterdam, and things have taken an unexpected turn.
01:03What are you doing to me?
01:04What have I done?
01:06400 years ago, Amsterdam was the richest city in the world.
01:25Money poured in from world trade, leaving a legacy of neatly ordered townhouses stretched along picturesque canals and a vibrant red light district.
01:38Nowadays, more than 5 million tourists flood into the city each year, many of them drawn to the red light area like moths to a flame.
01:51And waiting for them, are the scammers.
01:58Well, this is a city I used to know pretty well, because I used to come here a lot when I was younger.
02:02And I can honestly say, in all my travels, it's one of the darkest places I've visited.
02:08So it's nice to be back.
02:09While most major cities have their pickpockets, I've heard in Amsterdam it's been elevated to a fine art form, and I want to catch one in the act.
02:39I'm in Dam Square, one of the city's famous tourist hotspots.
02:49A perfect hunting ground for pickpockets.
02:56I've put my fake wallet in my back pocket, ready for action.
03:003...2...1...up!
03:063...2...1...up!
03:09EXCEPT FOR THE STREET PERFORMER, IT SEEMS LIKE NO ONE ELSE IS WORKING THE CROWDS.
03:14Except for the street performer, it seems like no one else is working the crowds.
03:39Dam Square didn't deliver.
03:42Time to check out another tourist magnet, Blumenmarkt, the flower market.
03:51I take tram 5, a popular tourist route.
04:06And success. My wallet's just been lifted.
04:12The crew tipped me off that it's the woman behind me.
04:15So where are we going?
04:22Sorry?
04:23Where are we going?
04:24I don't know. Where are you going?
04:25Well, I need my money, so I'm going wherever you're going.
04:29Which money?
04:30Which money?
04:31Which money?
04:32Huh?
04:33Which money?
04:34My money.
04:35Where's my wallet?
04:36Where's your wallet?
04:37You know where my wallet is.
04:38I don't know.
04:39I know where my wallet is.
04:41We could go on like this forever.
04:43We might as well do it somewhere comfortable.
04:45How about we go for coffee?
04:46I'm buying.
04:47You're buying?
04:48You just say you're buying.
04:49You just say you lost your wallet.
04:51Well, I haven't exactly lost it.
04:53Because I kind of still know where it is.
04:55You have to do?
04:56Yeah.
04:57I'm Connor, by the way.
04:58Hi.
04:59Agatha.
05:00Agatha.
05:01Hi, Agatha.
05:02Eva.
05:03Eva.
05:04I know Agatha has my wallet, but she's playing hard to get.
05:08What is your profession?
05:09I do administration and I work with the homeless.
05:13Oh, okay.
05:14That's interesting.
05:15How long have you been doing that?
05:16A long time.
05:17I used to be homeless.
05:19So I help those people to the benefit of my misery.
05:24Oh, right.
05:25How long were you homeless for?
05:26I was seven years homeless.
05:28Seven years?
05:29How did you make a little extra money then?
05:31I do some jobs.
05:34Somebody asked me to do some things for them and I do.
05:38I mean, I'm good at writing letters.
05:41Good with your hands.
05:42I can't type.
05:43I don't know what you mean.
05:45You start to be on a dirty sleazy tour or what?
05:48That wasn't what I was getting at.
05:49I'm good at talking.
05:50We have to get out here.
05:51I've got to get out too.
05:52Yeah.
05:53So, anyway.
05:54About my wallet.
05:55Are we going to give me my wallet back?
05:56We don't have your wallet.
05:57Oh, come on.
05:58Okay, how about you keep the wallet, but we can just go for a coffee and finish our chat.
06:11I don't have the wallet, but if you want to buy us coffee, you can buy us coffee.
06:14Okay, that's cool.
06:15Let's go for a coffee then.
06:16You can keep my wallet in exchange for information about the city's red light districts.
06:25You know what it is?
06:26This was always an area for prostitutes for getting scammed for everything.
06:30It started to become more aggressive.
06:32So, now for 10 euros, you have to be careful you don't get a knife on your throat.
06:37I mean, in the last couple of years, a lot of girls are killed who work on the streets.
06:41Yeah.
06:42I mean, it's getting worse and worse.
06:46And you have to remember, there always will be people who are using drugs and are addicted.
06:52And I mean, if they don't have any possibility, they start, like a cat in the dark, start to do crazy things.
06:59You do what you have to do to survive as a woman.
07:02I mean, if you don't want to go into prostitution, you have to find out a way.
07:05It's like pickpocketing.
07:07We know some.
07:09You have to go to Central Station.
07:11Yeah.
07:12Anyway, we have to go.
07:14So, it was nice meeting you.
07:15It was nice meeting you.
07:17Have a nice day.
07:18Bye.
07:19And there they go with my wallet.
07:21So, it seems there can be a sinister edge to this city's anything-goes culture.
07:34I'm on my way to meet a former hustler, who worked these streets,
07:50for 17 years.
07:56If there is a dark side here, he'll know all about it.
08:11Oh, whoa, mate.
08:12Watch where you're going, man.
08:13Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me.
08:16What?
08:17I'm sorry you dropped your bottle, mate.
08:19Come, come, come, motherfucker.
08:20Oh!
08:21You banged into me.
08:22I'm sorry that happened.
08:23Give me my money for my drunk.
08:25I'm sorry that happened.
08:26Give me my money.
08:27What money?
08:28What money?
08:29What money?
08:30Give me money for the drunk.
08:31This is clearly a con.
08:32I feel like I'm getting stung here.
08:34What was it?
08:35Give me my money.
08:36It's a crude but clever trick.
08:38Give me my money.
08:39Probably wasn't even real whiskey.
08:40Is it full bottle?
08:41Yeah, full bottle.
08:42Give me my money.
08:43How much money do you want?
08:44Got some change?
08:45I only have a 50.
08:46Yeah, I'm not happy.
08:47I'm not happy.
08:48I'm not happy.
08:49I'm not happy.
08:50I'm not happy.
08:51I'm not happy.
08:52I'd say the 50.
08:53Go, go.
08:55I pay over the odds, knowing it's a rip-off.
09:01But I'm in a hurry.
09:08I'm late for my meeting with the one-time street hustler.
09:15Good evening.
09:20Mo.
09:21Hi, Connor.
09:22How are you?
09:23I'm fine.
09:24How are you?
09:25I'm good, man.
09:26Nice to meet you.
09:27I believe you know the streets of Amsterdam pretty well.
09:30I do, yes.
09:31I know them very well because there was a time I was addicted to cocaine and heroin.
09:38And at that time, I spent 17 years here in this area to hustling, making money, and to use drugs.
09:46What kind of hustles did you do?
09:48I was especially focused on foreigners.
09:52I knew they were coming fresh tourists to the city.
09:55Okay.
09:56So I knew I could make good money to provide my needs for drugs.
10:00So every weekend you'd get fresh blood coming in?
10:03Yeah, every weekend, especially on the holidays and in the weekends.
10:06Okay.
10:07They are vulnerable because they don't know what's going on all in the city.
10:11And especially when they are under influence, they can be an easy target.
10:16What sort of cheats and hustles did you do on tourists?
10:20I was focused on selling them nap dope, we call it here.
10:23You know, fake drugs.
10:24But how does the fake dope work?
10:25It's something what a dentist use.
10:28When you put it on your tongue, it makes your mouth immediately numb.
10:32And a lot of people think it is real cocaine, but it is rubbish.
10:37Fake drugs and buyers with no idea what they are taking.
10:41That could be interesting.
10:43But if I want to go out and get myself in a bit of trouble, where are the good areas for me to go?
10:47If you want trouble, you should go outside the area where the cameras are hanging.
10:51And you pretend you are a little bit drunk and looking everywhere.
10:55So they know, oh, this guy doesn't know where, he's not from here, he's an outsider.
10:59For sure they will approach you in one way or the other to get money out of you.
11:07This city has a fairytale prettiness to it.
11:22But we all know in fairytales, you are never far from something hiding in the shadows.
11:37Last night I was told that scammers in Amsterdam are as prevalent as ever.
11:58Targeting tourist party goers in the city's red light district.
12:04Tonight I am going to play the vulnerable tourist, with the hope of finding some trouble.
12:19But for now, the crew and I head towards Amsterdam's famous floating flower market, the Bloemenmarkt.
12:25Some countries are famous for their food, others wine.
12:37Holland, tulips.
12:40Over three billion are grown each year.
12:43What better souvenir to take home?
12:46So in here 55 tulips, 7 euros 50.
12:55We've got 55 there and we've got 100 here.
12:57155 tulips.
12:58Be all right.
13:01Beautiful Amsterdam tulips.
13:0315 euros.
13:04That sounds like a good deal.
13:07Almost too good to be true.
13:09Cheers.
13:11That's enough souvenir shopping.
13:13I think it's safe to say my garden next year will look blooming marvellous.
13:18Agatha, the woman who stole my wallet yesterday, told me Centrale Station is a pickpockets playground.
13:34So that's where I'm heading next.
13:36250,000 people pass through here every day.
13:48It's the gateway to Amsterdam.
13:53I'm trying a different strategy.
13:56I've planted a note in my new wallet, with my phone number and the offer of a reward.
14:02If someone steals it, hopefully this will bait them to call.
14:06Excuse me, you don't know where the Rembrandt plane is?
14:09The Rembrandt?
14:10Rembrandt plane.
14:11Oh no, sorry.
14:14Police are crawling all over this station.
14:19Surely pickpockets wouldn't take the chance.
14:29Sorry, you don't know where the Rembrandt plane is there?
14:31Rembrandt Square.
14:32Yes, it's what?
14:35That way.
14:36All the way, all the way, all the way, all the way, all the way, all the way.
14:38Okay.
14:39You see the signs?
14:40Rembrandt Square.
14:41Thank you very much.
14:43I'm starting to doubt Agatha's tip-off.
14:51Are you looking for a hotel?
14:53Looking for a Rembrandt plane?
14:55Rembrandt Square.
14:56Just a moment.
14:57Because, well, I need my glasses.
14:58I don't have glasses at the moment.
14:59Go direct by the damn street.
15:03Are you lost?
15:04You have a girlfriend?
15:05No, he asked for Rembrandt Square, but I don't have my glasses.
15:08So I'm trying because the sentry station is just here.
15:09Yeah.
15:10You just have to follow the tram.
15:11Okay.
15:12You can also take one of those trams.
15:13Tram 9 is going to the Rembrandt Square.
15:14That's great.
15:16It's gone.
15:17What?
15:18Wallet's gone.
15:19It's gone.
15:20Wallet's gone.
15:21Wallet's gone.
15:22He's taken the wallet.
15:23He's taken the wallet.
15:24He's taken the wallet.
15:25That was good.
15:26I didn't feel a thing.
15:27But where's he gone?
15:28He's disappeared.
15:29He's vanished.
15:30He even managed to shake the crew.
15:53She approached and he came round the back of me and took the wallet.
15:59And then he just, he was gone.
16:11Well, we filmed it happening, but we lost the pickpocket.
16:14So, he did half of it right.
16:16Now, I guess we just have to hope he calls the number on the piece of paper.
16:29I'm back at the hotel where I left my tulips and I think I've unearthed another scam.
16:36There was something about this bag of tulips that I bought that felt light to me.
16:40So, I counted and there's only 70 in here when there should be 100.
16:44I did the same again with this bag.
16:46There should be 55, there's only 39, which is 25 to 30% less than there should be.
16:53So, I'm going to go back and investigate further.
16:59Exported tulips are worth around 300 million euros to the Dutch economy every year.
17:06This is big business.
17:14Hey, hello.
17:15Hey, how are you doing?
17:16Good, and you?
17:17Good, Connor.
17:18Hi, tell me.
17:18I've bought a few bags of tulips from here.
17:20The 100 bags have got 75 in.
17:23Oh.
17:24The 55 bags have got 39 in.
17:30You really don't know?
17:30No, no, I don't know.
17:31How many do you buy?
17:32One of these?
17:34I can't believe this is a surprise to you.
17:36No, because I buy the thing from the company.
17:39Yeah.
17:40And I put in the selling.
17:41And you never count your own box?
17:43I don't count the box.
17:44Never?
17:44You just, you see you don't have time to count every bag.
17:47I don't have time.
17:48But you never counted one bag?
17:49No, sir.
17:50You don't have time to count one bag?
17:51I don't do it.
17:52Count that bag.
17:53I don't understand, but I don't do it.
17:56I have nothing to do.
17:58He's in no hurry to count them to see if what I'm saying is even true.
18:03And he doesn't seem surprised by my accusations.
18:06I know you know.
18:07You know I know you know.
18:08This is your word, what do you think?
18:11Otherwise, why didn't you count them now?
18:12Just to check.
18:13I could be, it's a lot of your stock.
18:14Look, that's one, two, three, four shelves, all of those ones over there.
18:18You never did one check ever.
18:20Why?
18:21Because you're being ripped off 30%.
18:22If what you say is true, you're buying 70 when you think you're buying 100.
18:28Exactly, exactly.
18:28I have to call the company.
18:30What happened with this thing?
18:31And will you change your sign to 39 bulbs?
18:33Exactly.
18:34For 750.
18:35You really didn't know?
18:36No, I don't know, sir.
18:37I think you must know.
18:40I can't believe you don't know.
18:41What's your name?
18:42Connor.
18:43Connor.
18:43And your name?
18:44Philip.
18:45Philip.
18:45Bon.
18:46There's a man with nothing to hide.
18:51Nothing to hide.
18:53Not even his name.
19:04Well, he didn't exactly admit there's a scam going on there, but it was quite revealing that
19:08he didn't feel the need to check how many bulbs were in the bag and he's in no rush to call his
19:12supplier and until he does, every tourist buying bulbs there is going to do exactly what I did
19:18and get ripped off.
19:31I've been pickpocketed twice since I arrived here.
19:34Have I just been unlucky or is street crime here more organised?
19:43I'm going to meet an ex-undercover cop who might be able to shed some light on the city's criminals.
19:53Do you think the problems got worse or do you think it's improved a bit?
19:56Well, absolutely it got worse.
19:59There were always pickpockets, but that was a much smaller group,
20:03what we see now is that those groups are from other countries, specific from Eastern Europe.
20:10And are they operating as gangs?
20:12They operate as a kind of gang very often and they know each other.
20:16They also have contacts with those people on the taxi bikes and these are also Romanians.
20:23They receive very often the goods and so there is a kind of contact.
20:28If we talk about pickpockets, the tourist who is in the tram for example and going to a certain place.
20:36Or people who are in a restaurant with an iPhone on the table and these are real first victims.
20:44So my hunch was right. I wasn't just unlucky. There are gangs operating in the red light district.
20:50The gangs in the red light district do get their money from big business, software and also hard drugs.
20:58And that's also related very often to high Moroccan dealers.
21:04I mean, now that they're operating as gangs, do they kind of behave in a different way?
21:07Has it become more aggressive?
21:08Nowadays we do have more violence.
21:10A lot of people nowadays get killed, Moroccan guys get killed because of drug deals.
21:16We had one day two guys killed in Amsterdam West.
21:22Wow, heavy stuff.
21:23That is heavy stuff.
21:24As a tourist, you're not that far removed from this.
21:27Absolutely, absolutely.
21:29Agatha talked about knives.
21:40Case is talking about AK-47s.
21:45This is hardcore stuff.
21:48Either way, there seems to be some organisation at work.
21:52Which means tourists could be one step away from a criminal network.
21:59Amsterdam's red light district is one of the few places in the world
22:18where the sale of sex and soft drugs is openly tolerated.
22:22It's not hard to see why tourists get distracted.
22:36Mo, my ex-hustler friend I met earlier, used to sell fake drugs here.
22:45I wonder if the dealers are still playing that game.
22:52It's illegal to deal drugs on the street here.
22:57But where there's demand, there's supply.
23:00And real or fake, tourists are willing to take the risk.
23:06The place is packed and it doesn't take long before I'm approached.
23:10But I don't want drugs.
23:20I want information.
23:22Let me see.
23:22I don't trust this man.
23:24He's with me, he's with me.
23:25He's with me, he's with me.
23:26There are no police, no police, no this shit, eh?
23:30I'm not the English police in Amsterdam.
23:33Where you going?
23:34This isn't going to be easy.
23:43They don't want to talk, they just want to make money.
23:48How are you doing?
23:48Yeah, fine, fine, fine.
23:51It takes some persuasion, but eventually I get one of the dealers to open up.
23:55You work by phone?
23:57Yeah.
23:57OK.
23:58So you have regular customers?
23:59Yeah.
24:00And what do they buy mostly?
24:01Coke?
24:02Cold, sometimes ecstasy, sometimes heroin, sometimes cracks.
24:07You have it all?
24:08I can get all.
24:10All right, OK.
24:11He's a mobile pharmacist, but you don't need a prescription.
24:15So you think, if I went up to just some random guy who offers me coke,
24:20if I pretend to be drunk, you think he'll give me a fake one?
24:23If I'm straight, he'll give me a real one.
24:25They're always going to try to give you first a fake one.
24:28A guy who is drunk, he don't know the difference what is fake.
24:33But how much money are these guys making?
24:37Some guys make even $1,500 one night with it.
24:40$1,500 one night?
24:41Yeah, $1,500.
24:44That's a lot of cash.
24:46Drugs and money can be a dangerous mix.
24:49Do you carry a weapon?
24:49For what?
24:51Protection.
24:51Yeah.
24:53And do you have someone looking out for you?
24:55Of course you have guys who know each other, you know, look.
24:58I know guys here, if I get in a fight, I know.
25:00If they see me, they're going to come and jump.
25:03But they'll protect you?
25:04It's not like protecting me.
25:06They know me, look.
25:07Yeah, OK.
25:08A group of guys looking out for each other.
25:11That sounds like a gang to me.
25:13And I'm now on a deadline.
25:15You're on a deadline?
25:16Yeah.
25:17You've got to sell some stuff to make some money.
25:18Yeah, I have to pay stuff for, you know, and talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.
25:23OK, OK, OK, I've taken up too much of your time already.
25:26Yeah.
25:27Yeah.
25:37When the bars close, trade hits its peak.
25:42I'm going to the main strip to see if I can find other dealers.
25:45I'm getting frisked for drugs, but he's not going to find anything.
26:11I was only talking to the drug dealer.
26:13What are you doing to me?
26:16What have I done?
26:18What have I done?
26:18I haven't done anything wrong.
26:20There's something not quite right about this.
26:22Stay there.
26:23Stay there.
26:24I haven't done anything wrong.
26:25Look on the other side.
26:26Stay there.
26:26Can you explain to me what I've done?
26:28Stay the fuck with your head there.
26:29Explain to me what I've done.
26:30OK.
26:31Now it's starting to get heavy.
26:33Stay there.
26:34Have I really just been hit in the face by the police?
26:37What have I done to you now?
26:38Stay against the wall.
26:39I will tell you after.
26:41Stay against the wall.
26:42Tell me what I've done.
26:43Yes, do it.
26:44Tell me what I've done.
26:45Now where are you going?
26:51He's taking my wallet.
26:55That's a new one.
26:56A fake cop.
26:58Robbery with a clever twist.
27:01Anyone who had just bought drugs from that dealer would be a soft target.
27:05He's gone, I don't know where he's gone.
27:21He's gone.
27:21He's gone.
27:22I don't know where he's gone.
27:23It's his beard.
27:26Wallet's gone.
27:26I said he was the policeman.
27:32He showed me some ideas.
27:33He's quite physical with me.
27:34And when I went after him, he just disappeared into that alley.
27:37And now I've no idea where he's gone.
27:40And he's nicked my wallet.
27:53Short counted tulips.
27:55Fake drugs.
27:57A fake cop.
27:58And three lost wallets.
28:06Amsterdam is proving to be an interesting place.
28:09Last night I met some of the wolves who add bite to this fairy tale city.
28:32There's beauty everywhere you look, but some of the characters are straight from the Brothers Grimm.
28:39But I'm on a roll.
28:46I've just received a call from the guy who says he stole my wallet at Central Station.
28:57We arrange to meet on the edge of the red light district.
29:09I'm on a roll.
29:16He's late.
29:18Very late.
29:23My pickpocket was supposed to be here half an hour ago and now he's turned his phone off.
29:27So it doesn't look like he's going to turn up.
29:29I'm not completely surprised.
29:33Meeting me must feel like a risky move.
29:35Maybe he's got cold feet.
29:51I'm going back into the heart of the city.
29:53Let's see how organised these dealers really are.
29:58This time I'm taking my producer as my wingman.
30:12We order a couple of beers, blend in with the crowds and wait for the dealers to approach us.
30:27But the night takes an unexpected turn.
30:29I just tried to take some money out of an ATM machine but something went wrong.
30:41I put my card in but no cash came out even though I could hear the machine whirling round.
30:46So we're staking out the bank waiting to see if anything happens.
31:02A couple of minutes later two guys approach the same ATM.
31:05They did not put a card in that machine.
31:17They did not put a card in that machine.
31:18They were there for about two seconds.
31:22What do you reckon?
31:22They didn't know.
31:23Come on, let's go after them.
31:26Quick, quick, quick, quick.
31:33Hey, how you doing?
31:34Hey, you all right?
31:36How you doing?
31:37All right.
31:38You went straight after me and you, uh...
31:45Tell me, what did you do?
31:47How does that work?
31:50No, come back, come back.
31:51Show me it.
31:52I put my card in and then money came out.
31:54The thing was sealed over the top.
31:57And then you guys went over and then you didn't seem to put a card in.
32:01You walked away with a little bit of money.
32:02I'm just wondering whether that was my money.
32:04Can I see your card?
32:07Come back and show me.
32:09He's with me, yeah, he's with me.
32:11Come back, show me, please.
32:12Show me how you do this.
32:14On the basis that we won't reveal their identity,
32:17they agreed to tell me about the bank job they've just pulled off.
32:20I've got my card in the ATM, no money comes out.
32:24Oh, yes.
32:25It's a provocation.
32:26I think this was the barrier.
32:28It's that simple.
32:29You just glue that over the front of the ATM and the money sticks to it.
32:33And then you just, what, you just go and pull it off?
32:35Yeah.
32:35Yeah.
32:35Easy money.
32:39And where did you learn this?
32:44From a friend or from a family or who?
32:46Well, this is a stress.
32:48Stress.
32:48When did you first start doing this?
32:50Yeah, one, one, one, one.
32:54They may not be the Jesse James gang, but it must be a lucrative scam to be worth the risk.
33:00If you're doing this, I mean, even every night and you're making, I don't know, three, four,
33:06five hundred euros a night, it's a lot of money. I can see this is, this could be a really good scam
33:11for making a lot of cash.
33:13No, no, no, no, no.
33:15You don't have to make money.
33:17But what about in the tourist areas?
33:3020 euros.
33:32Most tourists I know take out a lot more than that.
33:34Do you worry about the banks?
33:43Good luck, man. See ya.
33:47I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them, and I definitely don't believe that they
33:58only do it every now and again, and they get 20 or 40 euros from it. That is one of the simplest
34:04scams I've ever seen, and potentially one of the most lucrative.
34:08It seems like there's a new scam on every corner around here.
34:25But it's still the fake drugs that intrigue me the most.
34:36I don't think so, but I thought we made pain for you.
34:55Maybe the locals can help.
34:57I thought we made pain for you.
35:00Oh, you made pain for me.
35:01Oh.
35:02Wow.
35:03Okay.
35:04But the girls are only interested in one thing.
35:07Business.
35:10And it's not the business I'm looking for.
35:12What's up, guys?
35:21Yo, who can help?
35:22Okay?
35:23What do you need?
35:24I got some good drugs.
35:26If you want some ecstasy, I got some ecstasy.
35:29If you want this, I got some that.
35:31I can fix you everything.
35:33Look at my face.
35:34I don't play.
35:35Okay.
35:38Now, this guy's business is the business I'm interested in.
35:43And better still, he's happy to talk.
35:46If you want, we take a walk.
35:48I'll show you some things around.
35:50Then you can understand the life that's happening here.
35:54Yeah, man.
35:54Let's take a walk.
35:56Let's take a walk.
35:57Let's take a walk.
36:00You know what the thing is?
36:02Everybody who comes here is looking for money.
36:06You can make more money from the fake stuff because it's easy money.
36:09Yeah.
36:09You give the people nothing and you get the money.
36:13You get the money.
36:14You can put a lot of things inside and cut the stuff, you know.
36:18And then when you go taste the stuff, it's just like coke.
36:25It's just like coke, but it's hospital coke.
36:28It's hospital coke?
36:29Hospital coke.
36:30What's hospital coke?
36:31It makes your tongue go on.
36:32But it's not really coke.
36:33You know it's going on, but it don't give you not one of the flesh.
36:37At last, the real deal.
36:39Or better, the fake deal.
36:42How much does the hospital coke?
36:43So he's paid the coke himself for 30 grand.
36:4530 euro one gram.
36:46And how much do you buy that for?
36:48Two euro one gram.
36:49Normal, my friend.
36:50Okay.
36:51That's normal.
36:52And what other fake drugs do you have?
36:53Ecstasy?
36:54Heroin?
36:54Ecstasy, heroin, you have fake heroin, fake ecstasy, you have fake cocaine, fake grass.
37:02Grass that is, you smoke it, don't do nothing.
37:05Okay.
37:06Fake drugs.
37:10But not at fake prices.
37:13And it's a seller's market.
37:16You sell all of those to tourists?
37:18It's only the street.
37:20You know?
37:21Yeah.
37:21If tourists want it, you give it.
37:24Because why?
37:25You need the money.
37:26Yeah.
37:27I don't need nothing else.
37:28Yeah.
37:29I need only the money.
37:30I don't need friends, nothing.
37:32I need money.
37:34If they're really drunk, do they even notice?
37:36They don't taste nothing.
37:38That's the whole thing.
37:39Let's take a walk.
37:40Because my tongue is dry, you have to give me a drink now.
37:43Okay, let's go for a drink.
37:44Let me talk too much.
37:45Let's go for a drink.
37:51Let's go man.
37:52What I'm going to tell you, if you walk here in Amsterdam, you know, like a tourist, you're a target for everybody.
38:03Even the oldest woman who walks like this, see you like a target.
38:07Why?
38:08Because you are, son.
38:09Because you're new in town.
38:10Because you smell it.
38:11Right.
38:12You're the tourist, I'm the hustler.
38:14Yeah.
38:15You know, I look for money, you look for fun.
38:19You get the fun, I get the money.
38:20A simple trade between willing partners.
38:38He gets the money, but I'm not sure how much fun it is for the victim.
38:48He gets the money.
39:02Amsterdam.
39:04A 24-hour party town where anything goes, especially your money.
39:18As I head back to the hotel, I get an unexpected surprise when I spot a familiar face.
39:26The fake cop who stole my wallet.
39:35Come on, let's go over.
39:36Here's you.
39:40I thought I recognized you.
39:41What?
39:43Who are you?
39:43Mr. Police Officer from the alley.
39:45I want the fuck you want, Dan.
39:46What the fuck you want?
39:48And what's wrong with you?
39:49Nothing wrong with me.
39:50What's the problem?
39:50No problem.
39:51What are you looking for?
39:52After a few polite denials, he's another one happy to open up.
39:58That's the ID that you were carrying with you the other night, isn't it?
40:01Can I see that again?
40:03I didn't get a close look at it the other night because it was dark.
40:07It's not a police ID though, is it?
40:08I'm not for the police, man.
40:10You're not a policeman?
40:11No.
40:12And your wallet is also gone, so...
40:14Hey, don't worry.
40:15I don't want the wallet.
40:16It's fine.
40:16How long have you been doing that?
40:17A long time.
40:19Maybe like 15 years ago.
40:21And how often can you pull off the fake policeman scam?
40:25Three or four times a week.
40:28And what's the most you got in one hit?
40:29In one hit?
40:31Maybe 10,000.
40:34One thing's for sure, everyone is making money out of tourists here,
40:39and not from selling clogs.
40:41What other kind of things are you involved in?
40:44Robberies, gambling, also drugs, fake drugs.
40:48As long as tourists, there's money.
40:50It's my work, you know.
40:52You got to make money.
40:53You got to survive.
40:55You ever been caught?
40:56I've been in jail in France, six years.
40:58Six years?
40:59Yeah, for smuggling hash, 175 kilos.
41:03From Morocco to Holland.
41:05That was my work before.
41:07Now I'm a little bit retired.
41:10So robbing people like me is just his pension plan.
41:14So within that red light district, all you guys, you all know each other?
41:18You're kind of looking out for each other?
41:19Yeah, we all know each other, yeah.
41:20It's like a girl, you can call it that, yeah.
41:24One day you help me, another day I help you.
41:26You ever get in fights with people?
41:28Yeah, it happens sometimes, but you lose.
41:30It's my fucking city.
41:32It's my area.
41:32You cannot come in my house and think you can hit me.
41:37And me, I can stand up for myself, but there are always people behind me.
41:43If something happens, they jump in.
41:46You won't see where they come from.
41:48Tell your friends to watch out for Tony.
41:51And his friend.
41:52And his friend.
41:52And my friend here, Ahmed.
41:55Tell him to watch out.
41:56Fine, it's worth it.
41:58See you.
41:59Nice to meet you.
41:59Take care.
42:00Watch yourself.
42:01All right.
42:02See you.
42:02See you.
42:07Amsterdam's divided right down the middle, with tourists on one side and on the other,
42:12guys like Tony and Ahmed and the rest of his gang, just waiting to rip them off.
42:16They may look like rogue operators who act independently, but they're actually part of a loose network.
42:43It's like I'm being passed from thief to thief, and everyone takes a bite out of me.
43:00But I still don't know how organized they are.
43:06And then I get a phone call.
43:13Well, I finally managed to track down the guy that pickpocketed me outside of Central Station,
43:20and I've got what I hope is his address.
43:22I've got a lot of questions I want to ask him about pickpocketing here in Amsterdam,
43:26and how it fits in with everything else that's going on here.
43:28He's invited me over for a cup of tea.
43:40Come on, come in.
43:41Food of salt.
43:42Hey, thank you.
43:45When did you start pickpocketing?
43:48Oh, well, did it start in Sao Paulo, to learn from people who live on the street.
43:54What kind of things do you do to distract the tourists when you're pickpocketing them?
43:58I see if he are looking for something.
44:01If he is looking like you, for example.
44:04For the map?
44:05Yes, with the map.
44:06And I ask him if he is lost, or if he likes that I show the direction,
44:13or if he needs some kind of accommodation.
44:17How do you know which people have got money on them?
44:20I just look at where he is, how he pays his bill, and which bag he chooses to put the wallet.
44:28How many languages do you speak?
44:30Portuguese, English, French, Germany, Hollands, a little bit of Arabs, Japanese.
44:38So you can distract, you can pickpocket people from all of those countries?
44:42Yes.
44:44If he doesn't like to talk in English, I talk in his language.
44:47I ask him, where are you from?
44:49Then he's going to say where he's from, and I start to talk in his language,
44:52because this way he's going to be more comfortable to hear somebody who's talking the same language.
45:00This guy's a seasoned pro. Tourists don't stand a chance.
45:04So what's the most money you made pickpocketing someone in Amsterdam?
45:08On the weekends, if I go out, I can come home every evening with 500,000 euros.
45:15Working just two nights a week, Domingo has the potential to earn 50,000 euros a year.
45:26That's a lot of money, and a lot of ruined holidays.
45:31Have you ever seen a tourist be stabbed?
45:33With mess, with knife? Yes, of course, many times.
45:37In the area, the red light street, because of one bottle of cocaine,
45:40the guy killed one Englishman. It was terrible.
45:46You killed him?
45:47He killed him, yeah.
45:49And is there a boss of the red light district?
45:52He's a big chief.
45:53And who are the chiefs?
45:55I cannot tell you. I cannot show you, because they are private. I cannot do this.
46:01They give us something. If we don't have nothing there, we didn't have any job,
46:07people. They say to us, come over, take 100 or take 50 or go enjoy yourself for tomorrow.
46:13During the times, come again. We are professional to do something bigger to him, you know.
46:24Domingo makes this place sound like a benevolent society for local scammers.
46:31A loose confederacy of thieves and hustlers preying on wide-eyed visitors.
46:37But if you keep your wits about you in Amsterdam, you might just avoid Domingo and his friends.
47:00Amsterdam is beautiful. It has a deserved reputation as a liberal and tolerant city.
47:07It may feel like a fairytale city, but remember, some of its risks are very real.
47:37What we can get in the rightæł?
47:39But I feel like you are a victorious southern speaker.
47:41You are the relatively unannounced suspension, and I know what can be terrible?
47:43Oh, there is no buddies.
47:45We are GT Gal wind.
47:45You are the next person who is so
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