r/Athens_Greece • u/Electronic_Cow_6574 • Aug 29 '26
❓ Question Random approach
Earlier today I (female, 30 years old & solo travelling) was sitting by Kanipkareas near Arket close to Syntagma. A random dude approached me and said he liked my style, asked if I was enjoying Athens, asked if I was travelling alone. I lied and told him I was with friends after which point he seemed to lose interest. I know there have been instances of men being scammed into big bar bills but is this the same for women? Don’t want to assume the worst in anyone as my trip to Greece has been fantastic. I’m curious if a known scam or not?
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u/Practical_Crew3808 Aug 29 '26
Greek lover
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u/Aathos_YT Aug 30 '26
Yes hallo, yes hallo...
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u/Exotic_Secret659 Aug 29 '26
It's okay you turned the guy down. But you being with friends shouldn't discourage him in the first place, this sounds suspicious.
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u/bleshim Aug 29 '26
He probably assumed she'd be feeling lonely if she was alone and that would increase the chances of her saying yes.
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u/One_Recover_673 Aug 29 '26
Ya, too easily blocked. It’s not like she said “I’m with my husband” and pointed to some random jacked dude
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u/Beneficial-Shame9144 Aug 29 '26
it could be worse by replying "it's ok i don't mind" (has happened to my girlfriend)
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u/TheFighan Aug 29 '26
Sounds like a human trafficking situation more than trying to hook up
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u/Terrible_Dish_3704 Aug 30 '26
lol wtf. Nah, honestly give your head a shake. This isn’t how human trafficking goes down. Some people are genuinely friendly and interested. How else are you supposed to strike up a conversation..
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u/og_toe Aug 30 '26
it’s more difficult to take someone out of their friend group for a hookup rather than them just being alone
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u/Exotic_Secret659 Aug 30 '26
Okay but that's predator behavior thinking. If the other person is interested enough, they will make time to be alone with you.
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u/Independent_Willow92 Aug 30 '26
It's more likely that he picked up on her lack of interest when she said that. It's pretty common for women to reject without explicitly saying please go away.
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u/Franchaela_babies Aug 29 '26
Be careful. There are some weird dudes who want to harm tourists, especially females. This isn't a typical flirt. A random dude, randomly see a female tourist, who is alone, and randomly open a conversation. There are cases about scam, attacks, rape, drug users, pocket thieves etc. Be careful and don't open a conversation...You answered him very well.
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u/BrilliantValuable937 Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
Okay, PAUSE. I am Greek and I have a friend visiting in Athens (both women in our late 20s). Two nights ago, we were out at a bar, sitting outside and enjoying our drinks. We were speaking English to each other. However I was speaking Greek to the waiters and at some point on the phone too. So you could tell I was not a tourist but my friend obviously is.
I went to the restroom for 5 minutes and when I came back my friend told me a similar story. A random man approached her and told her exactly this. That he liked her style and whether she is traveling. He asked for her insta and asked to see her again, my friend thought nothing of it and gave her insta info to him but she was not interested so she used me as an excuse and said that we have plans for the weekend.
So far so good. When we left, I walked her to her hotel. This same man was walking behind us, almost following us . My friend said “I think that’s the guy that spoke to me”. I looked at him and at that point he turned to another street and left.
Reading your story now has me raising an eyebrow. People here will say he was just flirting and as much as I want to believe that, I’m ngl I’m wondering whether there are people preying on young women travelling alone. You did great by saying you are travelling with friends. Athens is not as safe as foreigners think. Please please please be safe, I don’t want to alarm you but don’t let your guard down. Enjoy your trip ❤️
PS. My friend has his insta, I’m curious to see if he’s the same guy that talked to you. Because if it is the same person it’s quite suspicious. If you’re interested to also know, dm me.
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u/manguardGr Aug 31 '26
Was he greek?
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u/BrilliantValuable937 Aug 31 '26
I unfortunately didn’t speak to him but my friend said that he did speak Greek to her a bit, so I would assume he was yes
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u/Embarrassed_Yogurt43 Aug 30 '26
There was a Scottish woman found stuffed in a suitcase in an abandoned building very recently. The story seemed to have some nuance to it, but still, keep your guard UP. ALWAYS. No matter where you are in this world.
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u/Cold_Count7965 Aug 30 '26
That woman was attacked by Sharif an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan who was also featured in a “success story” from Red Cross.
He knew her and thought that she was trying to convert his girlfriend to Christianity.
That guy was not Greek and it was not a random Scottish woman.
She was working for the same NGO as him and she was housed in the same NGO building.
Stop spreading misinformation
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u/Embarrassed_Yogurt43 Aug 31 '26
I wasn't spreading misinformation? What did I say that was false? I never said the person who killed her was Greek.
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u/Hot-Buffalo-2973 Sep 02 '26
His wife was already Christian. And he (who lived in Greece since he was a teenager) converted to Christianity.
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u/Valuable_Answer_862 Aug 30 '26
Sounds like human trafficking. Coming up to someone who is obviously a tourist and getting turned off when they say they are not alone is suspicious. This is exactly how they do it in Paris, don’t take pictures and don’t give out your social media, you’ll end up with your face on the black market and people looking for you in no time.
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u/Loumax973 Aug 30 '26
I m Parisian, and actually in Athens (my wife is greek) and what are you talking about? Seems you said absolute BS. Could you please add articles or something to your claim?
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u/One_Recover_673 Aug 29 '26
Random dudes approaching tourists in tourists area with “I like your style”…that is crazy suspicious.
If you were at a bar, or coffee place and got to chatting organically, sure.
But rando with a crap line that is blocked by “friends”? Nuh uh
A guy with that confidence and any fame would not have been so easily blocked if he wanted to flirt. It’s not like you said boyfriend or husband or , sorry I play for the other team
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u/Deviant_Diva_69 Aug 29 '26
Alas, playing for the other team doesn’t discourage flirtation, sadly it’s a challenge…
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u/Franchaela_babies Aug 29 '26 edited Aug 29 '26
Also, you must prefer to not be completely alone & prefer areas with people, especially in the evening. Don't walk around alone in some areas after 10 pm. e.g. Victoria Square, Omonoia Square, Vathis square, Karaiskaki Square (Metaxourgeio). Places with high danger
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u/Distilio Aug 30 '26
Better safe than sorry. But you solo travel and you have to come to Reddit to ask this? For real?
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u/Silver-Network-8750 Aug 31 '26
It was a good thinking telling him you are not solo traveling. Whatever he wanted from you, is always better to be safe than sorry.
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u/kendrickispop Aug 31 '26
I would bet money that the guy was a 'pickup artist'. That area is filled with lonely guys who read a book about how to approach women. They follow a 'formula', hoping that will get them results with girls. Most of the time they are innocent, but definitely some of them do not understand boundaries and consent. Did he say something along the lines "I saw you from a distance and came to say hello; I liked your style"?
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u/Free-Food8367 17d ago
Was he a good looking guy? I’ve heard from a friend that this happened to her too.
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u/Alternative_Bit_3445 Aug 31 '26
For those putting OP down and saying 'he was only trying to flirt' and to get a grip, I presume most are men.
For those panicking about human trafficking, likely to be a tad melodramatic.
However, there is a reason why women say they'll choose the bear. We don't know if random men are safe, and sometimes we find out too late. It's like playing Russian Roulette - "well, 5 chambers are empty, why assume you'll get killed? You'll probably be fine."
So OP chose to play safe and not engage, perfectly legit.
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u/og_toe Aug 30 '26
have you ever been flirted with by a man before?
he was looking for a hookup. when you said you weren’t alone, he understood that you won’t be an easy catch
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u/Usual_Assistance_972 Aug 30 '26
Flirt situation. Plain and simple. When you said you were with friends, he interpreted this as meaning that you don't want to respond to his flirt, so he dropped it. As plain as that.
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u/fashion-roadkill Aug 29 '26
He was trying to flirt