Brits warned as tourists targeted by scammers in popular holiday city

British tourists in Amsterdam have been told to be wary of scammers masquerading as beggars in need of help or cash. Recent foreign visitors to the Dutch capital reported a rise in the number of people approaching them on the street claiming to be in need. One holidaymaker said they had been targeted by a crying woman who claimed to be Ukrainian and said she had lost her boyfriend and needed help to get back to Centraal station.

They recounted on Reddit that her pleas felt "weirdly rehearsed" and her story gradually made "less and less sense", including the claim that her phone wasn't working when it appeared to be fully functional. "We just cut her off completely, then saw that she went up to other tourists and started doing the same thing," they said. "We warned these tourists what she was doing and then her 'boyfriend' pretty much just appeared and ushered her off."

While fellow social meida users responded that the scam was common to most popular city break spots, with petty criminals taking advantage of naive and well-intentioned tourists, others shared similar stories of their trips to the Netherlands.

"Not even that new of a scam," one wrote. "It's one of those where they get you hooked on something, and then just ask for money or something. Basically a derivative of 'I will help you find your hotel' and then [intimidating] you to pay for the services.

"Unfortunately, it's hard to trust anything that people say in the centre of Amsterdam. Makes you even not trust situations where help might actually be needed."

Amsterdam has had something of a chequered history, despite its status as among the most-visited cities in Europe.

It is known for its infamous red light district, a network of alleys with a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, which officials have made steps towards cracking down on in recent months.

Proposals supported by the city's mayor over the summer proposed getting rid of the district, which has functioned in some form since the 14th century, and building a safer "mega brothel" in the suburbs in its place.

Sex work is legal in the Netherlands but it is not allowed everywhere in the country - including in a hotel or on the street - or without a permit.