1. Rogue 'fritaxi' cabs and meter tricks
Sweden's taxi market was deregulated in the 1990s, and private 'fritaxi' operators have trawled for tourists ever since. Documented tricks include taking long routes, quoting the meter total as euros instead of kronor (it never is), and switching the displayed tariff so a cheap 'Taxa 1' shows while the premium night/holiday rate runs. Swedish law requires a comparison-price sticker on the passenger-side window for a 10 km / 15-minute reference trip — a conspicuously high figure on that sticker is the classic tell of a rip-off cab.
Warning signs
- An unusually high comparison price on the yellow window sticker
- Claims that the meter is 'in euros'
- Independent cabs touting outside clubs, bars and stations
- Refusal to give an estimate or a receipt
How to avoid it
- Check the passenger-window comparison sticker before getting in
- Stick to the big companies — Taxi Stockholm, Taxi Kurir, Taxi 020 (Sverigetaxi) — even if they are not first in the queue
- Ask a hotel, restaurant or café to call a reputable cab for you
- Get an estimate before departure, keep the meter on, and take the receipt
2. The Gamla Stan shell game
On Västerlånggatan, Gamla Stan's main tourist street, crews run the classic three-box shell game for 500 SEK notes. The dealer palms the ball so no outsider can win; 'players' who win are accomplices, and other team members drift through the watching crowd picking pockets. Stockholm police have cracked down on it and warning signs are posted in Old Town shop windows, yet the game continues to pop up in tourist season.
Warning signs
- A kneeling dealer with three boxes and a small crowd
- Onlookers winning cash too easily
- People working the edges of the crowd near your bag
- The setup appearing near souvenir shops on Västerlånggatan
How to avoid it
- Do not stop to play — and do not stop to watch
- Keep walking through Gamla Stan crowds with your bag in front
- Heed the warning signs posted in Old Town shop windows
- Report active games to police on 114 14 (or 112 in an emergency)
Sources
3. Pickpocket gangs on tourist transit and in the Old Town
Summer brings pickpocket gangs to Stockholm's crowds: travel-safety reporting flags Stockholm's Old Town and the airport-to-city trains, where thieves target tired arrivals, as well as strangers 'helping' with bags at the main stations. Teams work in the usual division of labour — one distracts, another lifts the wallet or bag. The UK government likewise warns that pickpockets target tourists' passports and cash in Sweden's major cities.
Warning signs
- Unsolicited offers to carry or stow your luggage at stations
- Jostling or crowding on airport trains and metro platforms
- Distractions — questions, petitions, dropped coins — in Gamla Stan
- Bags left open or worn behind you in queues
How to avoid it
- Keep hold of all your own luggage, especially on Arlanda airport links
- Wear bags zipped and in front in Gamla Stan and on transit
- Politely refuse any 'help' with bags from strangers
- Keep passports in the hotel safe and carry a copy
Practical safety briefing
- Airport arrival: Arlanda Airport sits about 40 km north; the Arlanda Express train and Flygbussarna coaches are the predictable, scam-free legs in. The airport taxi queue is the classic trap — check the yellow comparison-price sticker on the rear passenger window before accepting any cab.
- Trusted transport: SL public transport (metro, commuter rail, buses, ferries) via the SL app; reputable cab firms Taxi Stockholm, Taxi Kurir and Taxi 020; Uber operates but is often no cheaper than taxis.
- Money & payments: Sweden is nearly cashless — cards and Swish dominate, and many shops no longer accept cash at all. Use bank ATMs if you need kronor, and remember taxi meters bill in SEK, never euros.
Official travel advisories
- UK FCDO — Advises particular care of belongings in major cities, as pickpockets often target tourists for passports and cash.
Compiled from documented reports and government advisories. How we verify scams. Last verified July 2026.