Scam City scammed Amsterdam

Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan wants broadcaster National Geographic to rectify an episode of Scam City television program.

. ()

In one episode, Amsterdam was depicted as a "scam city" where tourists become victims of pickpockets and vagabonds, Reuters reports.

The TV show is designed to highlight the criminals of a selected city, and exposes how they work. The TV channel uses hidden cameras to observe the criminals.

The police have found that the TV channel paid people to act as criminals.

"The city has been insulted. This looks like scam television," the mayor said.

Following a complaint from the city, National Geographic decided not to broadcast eight scheduled repeats of the program.

Calls to the National Geographic Channel have not been returned. The channel, owned by Fox, broadcasts the show in the Netherlands and other countries around the world.