Tricky cups and ball scam (london)

Please be aware of the following scam happening on Westminster Bridge. As you cross on the St Pauls facing side or westminister bridge near bigben and london eye you will see groups of European men and women gathered around someone performing the 3 cups and ball trick. Don't be drawn into it. Whats happening is there is the guy doing the trick and then his accomplice (female usually) who appears to win big money. Its a set up, she always through either signals or the timing of her placing her bet wins and you see him actually awarding her cash. Of course you wont win. Its so organised that they actually have spotters on at least the Abbey end of the bridge (a guy smoking a cigarette) looking out for the police and at the sign of them, they pack up their little mat and run off. Its been going on for months and only plain clothes police will stop it . Spend your time looking at the views down river towards the London Eye instead.

[@mhkpt]

it's kind of obvious that it's a scam when the "winners" speak english with the exact same accent and have the same fashion sense as the scammers.

[@renosony6121]

And looked related lol

[@AseemSehmi]

hahaha! great observation you have 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@Mllorand888]

Romanian gipsy all of them! I cant believe people still fall for them... the all look the same, all scammers

[@christoph404]

the guy conducting the scam has at least 6 accomplices sometimes 10 or 12 in the crowd, and of course they have two lookouts watching for the police, the plants in the crowd are the people who are winning and losing and handing over money, it is all designed to make you think how easy it is and to have a go, humans see a crowd of onlookers and their herding instinct wants to stop and have a look, but you will never win. The other thing is if you hang about watching you are likely to get pickpocketed because that is also the purpose of this scam, to draw you into the crowd where there are numerous accomplices ready to rob you. I once walked over Westminster bridge with my dog, I was in a bit of a mood as I'd split with my girlfriend and I decide to walk right through the middle of those scams and kick those cups all over the place, they were not amused and jostled me a bit but I was spoiling for a fight that day and so I disrupted about half a dozen of those criminals and there was not much they could do about it except curse me in Romanian. Maybe I'll do it again and film it and put it on youtube!!

[@fireflames3639]

You should

[@DimitrisSartzetakis]

How you cannot win? I literally followed where the ball was from this video and was correct all the times

[@Tyw7]

​@@DimitrisSartzetakisthey can do slight of hand trick to move the ball to another cup.

[@vladimir4526]

​​@@DimitrisSartzetakis You just fall for it. Only their partners are winning, when stranger comes he takes the ball. This is a scam not a game.

[@antebaric3021]

They put ball in his hand..you cant win...dong be naive

[@paulineli4418]

who else came here after watching stephanie’s video where she was scammed

[@reaxxat2208]

YAAAAASS BISSS

[@damo7714]

Who is Stephanie?

[@oSupaDupaFlyo]

For the people that don't know. The girl with the bag is his partner. He makes her look like she's winning. Then the victim joins as the 3rd player while the partner plays along as well.

[@alisonhilll4317]

Thanks Barbara Lerner Spectre and Co, open borders for israel.

[@the_hasnat]

After 8 years she’s still there, saw her last month

[@iamsquishy97]

i found it rather easy to keep my eye on the ball, i dont understand why people failed.

[@SupaDopex3]

Michael Saponaro I know right

[@yane499]

That's actually their plan..people who fail while it's easy are mostly in on it..they make you feel confident then when you try it they do some stuff to make you not get it

[@lean2281]

TheENofficial you're an idiot

[@stevegurto6907]

Michael Saponaro no you didn't it's a scam you can't win . There stooges who win

[@stevegurto6907]

TheENofficial your the stupid one my friend

[@BxnS]

Another way they do it is when people gather to look people will pickpocket them from behind when they are focusing on the ball

[@blueside2247]

Stephanie soo got scammed by this guy!!!

[@cicic5340]

No this is London dude

[@daisygarcia2484]

Omg and fanny pack ( I hope I spelled that right) I also came from watching Stephanie vlog.

[@taylorp1081]

I just came from Stephanie's vlog lol glad to see I'm not the only one here

[@carmencandy3856]

전전kookie hi fanny packers lol sameee

[@Salma-md4yr]

Lmao

[@orobs9780]

Put @ 0.25 speed, on the very first second, you can see the trick. The ball is on the palm of his right hand and he holds it making a cup with his hand. He lifts the cup with his finger and opens the hand, releasing the ball, making it looks like the ball was under the cup.

[@CraigTennis]

Ah, I see now. The ball is very squishy and easy to pick up with the ring finger and pinky

[@TheKonekiller101]

wow i didnt even pay attention...

[@diegoo589]

robsguelo no when hes talking he waits until somone says somthing to place the bet and he changes it last second when the person is placing the bet and they dont notice it

[@68camarorsss33]

robsguelo you’re right!

[@DanielTheCooliest]

NOICE EYES. THX

[@valeriaestrada8077]

Who’s also here from Stephanie’s scam

[@haileyrodrguez-6285]

Valeria Estrada meee

[@reaxxat2208]

Yeeeees biiiss

[@bEnXadE]

there is no ball in the end

[@andreiradu1945]

The trick happens at the end. After you give him the money, he is moving the cup and at the final moment he pulls out the ball by rolling the cup over it and sneaking it under the money he has in his hand. He can do all of this cuz the ball is of a squishy sponge material, allowing him to move it from under the hand under the cup with ease.

[@DimitrisSartzetakis]

Nope, I followed the ball with my own eyes lol and I found it every time. He just switches it when someone goes to give the money and doesn’t look

[@vladimir4526]

​​​@@DimitrisSartzetakis No bro they arent just being faster and tricking you. They are cheating. Its not real game.The times you see the ball is his partner. When victim plays there is no ball in any cup, thats the scam. Why do you think they dont want picture.

[@BlobB-kn9ww]

@@DimitrisSartzetakis The ones playing he doesn't hide the ball they are part of the same crime gang but when a real person pays to have a go the ball is taken out and hidden.

[@TheRedCoke]

can't be making that much money if he is wearing a fake givenchy top

[@kevinmarkey9441]

this is why britian voted for brexit to send these scum home 😈

[@heftyalan1152]

Dante That may be the image he is portraying to elicit sympathy or like me he thinks money on clothes is a waste. I had a meeting today and my MD said wear something with a collar. I spent 3 notes on eBay. Clothes are to cover skin, nothing more.

[@elvisduck4014]

Wow. I saw this going on all along Westminster bridge last week. Too easy to be anything other than a scam. Came home and searched KZbin to find this, over for years old. Thanks

[@sexybanana120]

I played this game once, lost £40 in an attempt to win back the £20 I lost. I could of sworn on my mothers life the ball was under the cups I chose, and yet I still lost.

[@transport21]

This trick is the ball is in his hand. Only his people will win but when others come to try that’s when he will put ball in his hand to the tourists loose always

[@namratabagerwal]

Ditto happened with me. When he unturns the cup, he’ll take out the ball and you loose. I too lost the same amount.

[@lalitakhaipraphai1352]

Yes, me and my mum was at Westminster bridge on our way to London eye yesterday and they were there doing this, my mum noticed that some of people around him were also his gang because they always there never move and pretended to play to make tourists to trust them. Also be aware of 2 ladies pretended to collect money for charity, they gave me a tiny flower wrapped in tinfoil and ordered me to donate money for children in Scotland, so I gave them £1 but they refused and pointed at £20 note and said £20 for donation and I was like WTF!! so be careful

[@unrealeck]

The person that 'lost' at the end is also in on it. You can tell these people by their clothes, skin tones and other physical traits alone. They're from somewhere in south/eastern europe.

[@BlobB-kn9ww]

Romania

[@TenorMan96]

1:09 EY NO FOOTBALL

[@sunhaae]

I think the main thing is pretty simple although I'm not experienced at all on how these things work. i am a native Romanian and heard some stuff but it's very hard to understand; the point seems to be that when he finishes, he asks where the ball is, and when the person thinks they know, he switches up the cups while the person isn't paying attention.

[@BibinVenugopal]

He doesn't switch the cup, he takes the ball in hand, there will be no ball under any cup

[@SpookyFox1000]

Aren’t foreign people great ? What an asset !

[@arthanick1247]

I fell for this scam in Amsterdam in 1986, took me for $100 Gilder, it was humiliating!

[@BaileySimrell]

just last week I lost a disgusting amount of money on this trick. some dude was doing it in San Francisco... had multiple people involved... and they even let me win a round first. very intricate.. I was very confused but now I get it

[@remedy7295]

How about lose fake cash? make a bet £500 (10 x £50) and then they can explain where they got fake cash to police.. XD

[@johnsteed9083]

What a wonderful cultural addition we have here.

[@joey9621]

If you think you got it right every time. You'd be a perfect candidate to get scammed 😂.

[@ShiZzleRandom]

are you serious? 98 percent of ppl were getting right lmaoo.

[@joey9621]

@@ShiZzleRandom 98% of the people are 100 % their own people.... You'd belong to the other 2% of the speculators thinking random people winning all the time... And than it's your turn, confident fellow 🤣

[@paddydoublems]

I remember seeing these guys five feet apart from each other on Westminster Bridge when I was in London five years ago. Only the tourists would get conned by this. There was one guy, who was local, and was like "I'll put £20 on it!!!". I pretty much knew he was in on the scam since locals aren't stupid enough to be taken in by this.

[@AwesomeMetalBands]

The oldest palming trick in the book and of course this is organised crime. If only Penn and were there to teach them a lesson they would never forget.

[@jskeith11]

I fell victim to their tourist trap in 2012. Not good. Sponge ball had a magnet in the middle of it and the man had a magnet ring on. I called him out and his posse intimidated me. Most of the people playing were in on it!

[@anthonyw395]

A good counter scam idea haha, you play, lose 20 quid, then a group of your friends come over impersonating undercover police officers when you see the main guy with the wad of cash in his hand. The police officers ask you how much you lost, then they take it off the guy and you guys give it all to charity or keep it yourselves!

[@kallenordvall]

You would have a greater chance of winning back some of the 20 quid if you buy scratch-off lottery tickets for the same amount.

[@JimmyHammer]

I was watching this on Westminister Bridge last week. Didn't look like many people were getting involved. The only people taking part were the others in the gang. Hopefully their time is up.

[@arnonym823]

Between 12 and 13 seconds you can see that he takes the ball out of the cup to squeeze it in his hand

[@jacwindsor5552]

They work as a team, with one of their criminal gang members giving them money. They hate having their video footage taken. When I go there, I tell everyone it is a scam. I have managed to get police to them, who happpened to be elsewhere in Westminster. They are scared of uniformed police. They also do this in London Bridge area too

[@abrahamrosa8142]

If the house always loses, it’s obviously a scam. The house always wins and at that pace, the dealer will go broke quickly enough.

[@ryanbaker6787]

Saw this only last week on the bridge...I knew it was a scam and a set up. My cousin tried filming what was happening on his phone, but one of the blokes stood in the way so he couldn't film it

[@ChrisRedfield--]

People who fall for this scam deserve their money taken. This is the oldest scam on Earth

[@a64738]

2000 - 3000 years old at least... Possibly much older. I can not believe that in this modern age people still fall for such a old to say it mildly well known scam.

[@sexydudeuk2172]

oh and the people that take their money deserve it? they are filthy thieving bastards. they should work for the money rather then steal it

[@astridstoik6002]

he changes the cups positions as soon as the audience think they got it right and look at their wallets

[@eIvin77]

actually he 'palms' the ball. the ball is from sponge, so it folds easily in his hand. so actually when you 'guess', the ball is under neither of the cups. it's in his hand

[@retrogazele]

One of the oldest scams existing.

[@sugomadeec3922]

they're still doing it till this day, i've even seen some guys doing the same thing yesterday on my visit to london

[@TC.....]

If it's true that there's no ball underneath the cups, what you do is you pick a cup and placed your hands on top of the other two cups then lift those two cups. Then you say well I was right the ball is under the cup I picked. I learned this from The Rifleman.

[@kallenordvall]

I’ve never tried winning on that scam and if I see it somewhere I’ll immediately call the police.

[@cramyt]

just leave them, the police will come along soon, they'll clear off, plus this is the oldest trick in the book and to be honest if you dont know about it then youll learn its a scam quick at the expense of 10 pound

[@a64738]

WoW how is it possible that people at this modern age still fall for this 2000 - 3000 year old or possible even older scam?

[@bbbbojangles2737]

It’s kind of obvious it’s a scam when there is no retail or business behind this man. No photo friend 😂😂😂

[@dan-roblox981]

Me and my family got scammed for this method by the same exact guy Shown in this video And the guy paid us £100 to leave but we lost £300 We called the police and came over but they didn't do much we got around £400 back But they will never stop so dont fall for this scam

[@RB1987]

In visit to London,i play the game and also loose €250/300

[@михаилроманов-ф7ч]

Пять подставных членов команды. Где то недалеко должна быть тройка бойцов прикрытия.

[@zuhroolimova2153]

Stephane soo got scammed from this guy lmao

[@reaxxat2208]

Zuhro Olimova yaaaasss biiisss

[@bronze9005]

It's so fake...no way this isn't organised when there're like 50 games all happening(went to the bridge yesterday and immediately had suspicion). This is also a game where it's easy to cheat, I've seen people have modded apparatus and everything. The trickster wouldn't do this if it was so easy for the public to win. I feel sorry for the tourists that got scammed. I saw a girl lose £50 trying to win.

[@CLXLucky]

when he slides the cups it is taking the ball out of the cups so he can hide it behind the cups, i am romanian and i know very well the trick

[@airportdocumentaries]

The first women in the video got scammed. You can see when she picks up the cup the man also picks up a cup and slides the ball in. The rest are scammers.

[@BeNZoJosh]

I wanna walk up to the first girls and act like a creep and slowly start touching them and just tryna get at them... then wait for it.. to see dudes reaction to the way I act towards girl.. cus we all know they’re all in on it. I l8ke the matching blue shoes too.

[@AseemSehmi]

I recall this scam that occurred in August 2018 on London's Tower Bridge. I tried to stop my friend from losing * more than 800 pounds that day, but he insisted on getting his money back, which he was c* ontinuously losing. As a result, he ended up losing a staggering 800 pounds, which is a significant sum of money. I have bad memory of that day. However, these days I dont these see peoplearound. Looks like UK government. took harsh action against them, but let me tell you one thing: if you see anyone acting in this way, particularly if a girl or boy is winning, *beware; they are likely a member of their gang. simply as in this video (check on **00:18**)* Very bad because of these kind of people many tourist go back with harsh experience memories.

[@Salma-md4yr]

Lol I saw this when I visiten London last year, a tip is to not leave your eyes from the cups when you are talking to him or when u r taking out your money bc they sometimes switches the cup. (my English is bad)

[@youdontKnowshhs]

Remember to always pic the opposite of the one your picking 😂.. but then again he can palm the ball and make it appear in any cup😂

[@cryptobyt2403]

This is not scam. This is pure hand speed. Just enjoy the game as entertainmant.

[@thethoughtsat3am401]

Reduce speed to 0:25 and observe the first second.. That's the trick.. Ball is in his palm..

[@MarkFromEastleigh]

Amazing how the fellow gang members win, but no one else does. What are the odds of that? 😁😁

[@xtreemboarder]

The smart thing would be not to bet the cup you think its under, but rather the two cups that are empty. He will have no choice but to put the ball back under the remaining cup.

[@a64738]

Only way to "WIN" at this 3000+++ year old scam is if you are in on it (which means you are one of the scammers and is in on it). .... I can not believe that people are still falling for the oldest and most well know scam in history of mankind lol.

[@MidgeDiabolik]

Crikey!. I came on YT just to find a video to show ppl the type of scam I saw today and I'm absolutely positive this was the actual guy that was operating today in Birmingham (outside the Wholesale Market Car Boot sale), he had a bunch of shills with him with handfuls of twenty pound notes.

[@ACIDFR3AK]

Midge Diabolik ahh they all look alike

[@simoflowers95]

not Even a single trick. when you go to Bet money you look At him and while you look up to his Face he shift 2 cups. You think THAT is the cup but It is al ready switched. he waits until you do the first one or two steps then he switch 2 cups. You can See the entire action from @1:36. I have been in london this christmas and I saw him in oxford street

[@grahamd5418]

He can't stop anyone filming in a public place.

[@rogernagy13]

stepping on his cups means part of the scam

[@gatchaw4805]

I was in London yesterday with the whole family and we went on that bridge area we were so confused beacuse they are there everyday then we saw a huge group of people and there was a police van and the 2 scammers luckily got caught

[@naquimos3492]

Most of the people with him are in on the scam. I saw the guy 2 times in Florence surrounded by the same 4 ppl acting together to draw in more ppl

[@Louis-bs7ns]

He pulled the ball entirely. Palmed it. Scam

[@Crmefghtr]

Some audience are scammers too

[@BlobB-kn9ww]

Nearly all of them are and they work as camera blockers.

[@MrA8888888888888888]

These guys operate in 3’s two of his friends will be hidden in the crowd making winning and loosing bets with him £50 this draws in passers by. Which is why “no photo, no photo my friend”. I walk past these scams every day to work and it’s always the same 3 people “playing”. They make good money the world has no shortage of fools!

[@ahmedalshamari2910]

I know u released this vid 3 years ago, just today I filmed one of them on the sly... you can kinda see how he did it when grabbing the ball is his palm, let me know if you wanna post it?

[@andrewm3961]

Bring your own yellow ball, and beat them at their own game.

[@Voltron8025]

Interesting idea might do that lol

[@supreme-sieger4386]

So one of these people was arrested right in front of me by a special agent who cuffed him and the girl who was repeatedly winning was also their friend because she was talking to the other scammers as if they already knew each other

[@FfFf-ol4uj]

These scammers would make a lot more money if they used people not affiliated to their gang as the side kicks . Minute you see the Roma women you know it's a scam .

[@arnofthenorth.7154]

You cant beat a good stooge, man or woman they'll pull the weak in. . . . . .

[@ceqz239]

I know how they lose they keep looking at the ball then they come up to the guy to pay, he switches it as soon as they approach him and expect to be in a specific place.

[@oxfordlocalsclassifiedads-6969]

do not play, you do not win, you give them the money, loads in Paris as well

[@TVCHLORD]

i would win everytime if he tried this on me, unless its different irl

[@Shisizle]

+Tech vs Tech It's a scam. When you have a chance to find the ball, the ball isn't under any of the cups. The people who actually find the ball are people who work for him. Normally women. Notice in the video the people who won kept winning? They wern't good, they where part of the scam to get people to think there's a possibility of winning.

[@TVCHLORD]

+Shisizle well from what i saw in the video he keeps the ball in the middle and right before hes done he moves the cup all the way to the left, and yeah i noticed the women

[@PcGamingVideo]

+Tech vs Tech You'll also notice that when he moves the cup all the way to the left the cup is slightly raised allowing the ball to slip out from underneath the cup and into the palm of his right hand where he holds onto it.

[@deathwind25x83]

people keep saying its all about him keeping the ball in his hand bla bla bla... no.. i use to do this at house parties and trust me... when you see someone come up holding cash cause they are 100% sure they are going to win they concentrate on how much money they have and want to make from these guys... during that time when they have their eyes off the ball.. he swaps it... watch at the end at 1:39 when u see that girl step forward cause he pauses and she doesnt think that hes going to move it again cause shes too busy taking her money out... and he swaps it over.. thats how most of the do it.. unless its a sponge ball then its different but dangerous cause one screw up and everyone knows you've kept the sponge ball in your hand... they might be close enough the same size as the cup but can be squashed down pretty easily into a ball you can practically hide with one finger.. P.S if u want to win at this game... keep your money in hand set a limit to how much u would spend every round and stand in front and DO NOT get distracted... if you 100% sure and the ball still isnt there.. and if ur with a group of fairly big men then flip all 3 cups.. call him out

[@xShadow125]

Don't approach this game at all. Don't attempt to be a smart ass and flip all the cups, they're usually in groups and could potentially have weapons. Sometimes they even just flip the location of the ball immediately after palming it so you never know which one has it even though one of them might.

[@drthots4576]

They lose is because they switch the ball right before they go and pay their money and they dont realise it.

[@ap5194]

The crowds acting is almost as bad as Hollyoaks. Almost

[@zoj7883]

Not really a scam? 1.He rotates the cup as usual. 2. He Stops 3.Asks who would like to place the bat & how much 4.The player looks and counts the money 5.He Quickly rotates while they pull the money out Clever

[@a64738]

Only way to "WIN" at this 3000+++ year old scam is if you are in on it.... I can not believe that people are still falling for the oldest and most well know scam in history of mankind lol.

[@christopherleishma4547]

Can’t believe this still works lol

[@DirectorHMAN]

These guys are IRL NPCs 😂

[@DragoMusivini]

I couldn't find the ball a few times because people kept walking in front of the fracking camera.but this is just a game of hand eye coordination

[@a64738]

This is oldest and most well known scam in history of mankind several thousands years old... You must have been living deep under a rock to not know about this scam lol

[@DragoMusivini]

Rondo whether this scam is thousands of years old or not I would like you to come and say you proof websites and everything like that but yes to answer your question I have not been living under a rock and I do know about the scam. Perhaps you should read someone's comment before making assumptions.

[@traffic71]

English born and bred……NOT.

[@chrisbarry7836]

Impossible to win at this

[@quadare1]

Now if the ball is small don't play

[@rrocketman]

Looked like they were all in on it

[@xdkai]

I honestly don't get how people fail at this, I won every time watching this lol.

[@xdkai]

are you ok?

[@samsloan2526]

Chaos you don’t have to be smart to do it just watch the ball it’s so simple

[@a64738]

Yeah right you win at well know 3000+++ year old scam... That means you are one of the ones doing the scamming as that is only way to win at this trick. It is strange that people are still falling for the oldest scam in the world at this modern age...

[@alexandrucoca9770]

@@CocoSurprise63 Lol u acting like its chess or something ahahahah what an idiot

[@comentariopesado]

The winners are working with him , they do that to entice the other people to play .

[@ervisvis6550]

The woman is he’s wife when you hear him saying yes the ball he says something in Romania.

[@noibuonkhongten8384]

I can guess which is cup have that ball. Why this game so easy? Any trick at here?

[@t.v.production3062]

What about the trick where the ball isn't in any of the cups?

[@aymaneelblili3782]

In his hand when he mix the cups he put it in his hand

[@catarinaff2]

I saw him in oxford circus tonight 🤯

[@khanage360]

WhEre iS DA BaLl , fInd DE ball

[@diegoo589]

At 0.25 when the woman comes up to the con man to place her bet he moves the cups when she isnt looking

[@diegoo589]

The girl in the tan pants with the nice ass is one of his stooges

[@limlfc1892]

Not this not this This 😂

[@seascs]

If you know the scam you will know which on it really is under and can make money out of these scammers

[@BlobB-kn9ww]

Its not under anything he takes it out for anyone who is not part of the crime gang.

[@ugurozdemir6573]

Seriously, these pricks block up the whole bridge..

[@SpencerFcp]

Weird scam, I would have won each time. I guess it depends on your point of view, maybe from the players angle it looks different.

[@a64738]

Yeah as the scammer you win every time on this 3000+++ year old most known scam in history of mankind :)

[@raygordon3728]

You can always tell the people who are in on it based on their clothes. Chick in tan pants is in on it.

[@mhamdq]

I lost with this man € 450 in Paris

[@outsidercain3038]

you must be really stupid

[@sexydudeuk2172]

bloody hell you must have too much money to be throwing that amount away

[@1BergerVongSchlauigkeitHer]

Those darned European men and women.

[@zorkaokrst1771]

Ball is in his ✋

[@nav4087]

Man I would’ve took all his money

[@isesaki3448]

The police are very friendly with scammers and thieves. At Valencia airport, a group of Roma ladies and men stole our bag and the police did not help us. The police lied about the CCTV recording and destroyed the CCTV recording of the crime. The police ignored to arrest of the group of thieves and played dirty games with the victims. The only job of the police was to give us a paper that the police received the complaint and now the police will investigate and arrest the criminals. But in reality, the police destroyed the CCTV recording of the crime to protect the identity of the criminals and did no investigation. This kind of police is more dangerous than these scammers and thieves.