During my five-day stay in the former capital of Turkey this October, I was able to witnessed several acts of swindling and saw a lot of grifters there. During my five-day stay in the former capital of Turkey this October, I witnessed several acts of swindling.

Although the tricks they use are pretty old, plenty of tourists still fall intofor the swindlers' trap. Although the tricks they use are pretty old, plenty of tourists still fall for the swindlers' trap.

Although the tricks they use are pretty old, plenty of tourists still fall into the swindlers' trap.s. Although the tricks they use are pretty old, plenty of tourists still fall into the swindlers' traps.

Although the tricks they use are pretty old, plenty of tourists still fall into the swindlers' traps. Although the tricks they use are pretty old, plenty of tourists still fall into the swindlers' traps.

You imply there is more than one type of trap in your piece, but even if there wasn’t more than one, I’d still favor using the plural here because it’s not a single instance of swindling performed in concert by all swindlers.

The most common and probably most well-known is pretty simple: The most common and probably most well-known is pretty simple:

A shoe shiner (allegedally by accident) drops his shoe brush in front of you and pretends to not notice it. A shoe shiner drops his shoe brush in front of you and pretends to not notice.

A shoe shiner (allegedally by accident) drops his shoe brush in front of you and pretends to not notice it. A shoe shiner (allegedly by accident) drops his shoe brush in front of you and pretends to not notice it.

When you, as a kind person, point thait out to him, he immediately starts shining your footwear (even if you wear sandals) out of ''pure gratefullness'' and tries to distract you with a conversation. When you point it out to him, he immediately starts shining your footwear out of ''pure gratefulness'' and tries to distract you with a conversation.

When you, as a kind person, point that out to him, he immediately starts shining your footwear (even if you are wearing sandals) out of ''pure gratefullness'' and tries to distract you with a conversation. When you, as a kind person, point that out to him, he immediately starts shining your footwear (even if you are wearing sandals) out of ''pure gratefulness'' and tries to distract you with a conversation.

When you, as a kind person, point that out to him, he immediately starts shining your footwear (even if you wear sandals) out of ''pure gratefullness''itude and tries to distract you with a conversation. When you, as a kind person, point that out to him, he immediately starts shining your footwear (even if you wear sandals) out of pure gratitude and tries to distract you with a conversation.

Unless you’re implying these words were spoken directly by the shiner, no quotes are needed. Also, gratitude is the noun.

When you, as a kind person, point that out to him, he immediately starts shining your footwear (even if you wear sandals) out of ''pure (gratitude / gratefullness)'' and tries to distract you with a conversation. When you, as a kind person, point that out to him, he immediately starts shining your footwear (even if you wear sandals) out of ''pure (gratitude / gratefulness)'' and tries to distract you with a conversation.

After that, he obviously demands a lot of money and becomes pretty agressive, sometimes even following poor tourists to their hotel and threatening them with vengeaiolence. After that, he demands a lot of money and becomes pretty agressive, sometimes even following poor tourists to their hotel and threatening them with violence.

After that, he obviously demands a lot of money and becomes pretty aggressive, sometimes even following poor tourists to their hotel and threatening them with vengeance. After that, he obviously demands a lot of money and becomes pretty aggressive, sometimes even following poor tourists to their hotel and threatening them with vengeance.

Fortunately, I was always quite leerycareful of strangers and just ignored the shoe brush every time someone dropped it in front of me. Fortunately, I was always quite careful of strangers and just ignored the shoe brush every time someone dropped it in front of me.

Fortunately, I was always quite leery of strangers and just ignored the shoe brush every time someone dropped itone in front of me. Fortunately, I was always quite leery of strangers and just ignored the shoe brush every time someone dropped one in front of me.

The scheme is so common that I once saw three such shoe shiners in a mere 40 minutes! The scheme is so common that I once saw three such shoe shiners in a mere 40 minutes!

The scheme is so common that I once saw three such shoe shiners in a mere 40 minutes! The scheme is so common that I once saw three such shoe shiners in a mere 40 minutes!

The scheme is so common that I once saw three such shoe shiners in mere 40 minutes! The scheme is so common that I once saw three such shoe shiners in mere 40 minutes!

That sounds terrible that it happens so much. I visited Baltimore before and they have a problem with people doing it with squeegees and "cleaning" car windshields at junctions and expecting to be paid.