Pickpocket reminder .............................

Hi Peter,

Always a good idea to post warnings about pickpockets.

Sorry about your loss.

The operation is evry similar to the Italian Gypsy way of doing business..distracting you with newspapers, etc. And to think the use of a moneybelt would have prevented this.

Thanks for the warning.

i am surprised by the theifs persistance. it seems she was determined to get her hands in that bag. maybe she had been following your party for some time (could she have been somewhere out of sight on the tram)?

Sam

My small purse was picked by a slick pickpocket on an Amsterdam tram. I use a moneybelt for 'big' money, passport, etc. My purse was unlatched, small coin purse removed holding 30E or so, while I hung on to a pole as the tram swayed around corners. Had no idea until we stepped into a cafe and then I saw my purse flap hanging open. I had been donning the purse first, then putting my jacket on over it, except this one time, of course!

For a couple of trips to London and Paris I wore a backback purse with a side zipper. I only used it for maps, water bottle, etc. It was always "fun" to check if after getting off the subway to see if it had been opened. I can tell you that every single time it was unzipped when I got off the train. At first I was frustrated thinking there was something wrong with the zipper until I realized what was happening. lol

On subways, trams, etc, swing your purse or backpack around towards the front and hold it close to your body by keeping your arm over it, hand on entry point. Even if your serious valuables are not there, it can be annoying to lose a map, guidebook, etc.

When a stranger approaches you, your mental alarm should go off immediately, especially if the person is begging. Don't let them get within an arm's length. We are all raised to be polite and helpful, and the thief trades on that.

A first approach can be rebuffed with a polite smile and head shake "no." If the person is persistent, escalate to a louder voice and much more aggressive tone, drawing attention from others.

These thieves are much like other predators. They look for the weak and undefended to cull from the herd. Carry yourself and your possessions with some awareness and you are less likely to be a victim.

We had a similar scam done in St. Petersburg. A man approached us holding out a scarf for sale--holding it with both hands. We kept saying "nyet" but he kept pressing toward my husband. Finally my husband twisted away rather violently and yelled at him. One of our friends was behind us and picked up a piece of paper that had been in husband's small fanny pack--the guy had gotten into it with his hand being hidden under the scarf--one "hand" was fake. All it was was a money change slip--nothing else in the bag anyway, but it was an interesting scam.

Years back my mother lost our plane tickets to some gypsies in Rome! Apparently having no use for them, they sold them back to us for a handfull of coins. Perhaps that was adding insult to injury but we were certainly glad to have them back! Our family's been on our toes ever since!

Just got back from Paris and witnessed a snatch. Happened on the metro. We were sitting away from the doors but the poor fella who was sitting right by them got something snatched from him just before the doors closed. The thief jumped on and off in a split second, doors closed and the thief was left laughing on the platform. Moral of the story - KEEP AWAY FROM THE DOORS.

The worst I ever saw was on the notorious train from Rome Termini out to the airport. A soft-hearted young woman took out her money purse to give some coins to a begging child of about 5. The child grabbed her entire money purse and jumped off the train. The poor girl was a medical student from Athens, just setting off on a holiday, and she lost about E300.

It was very sad, but let it be a lesson to you! If you do want to give change to beggars, keep some in your pocket and don't take out your wallet or change purse.

Am sorry to hear that mpprh.

Topman is right. It is the classic Italian way. There was a 20/20 feature on it. They push the cardboard against your body (usually around the waist)and pickpockets from below as it covers the action and also distracts your bodily senses that you're being pickpocketed.

Hearing about all these incidents in Paris, I'm feeling really lucky when I was in Paris for 3 weeks solo.

It just kills a perfect holiday experience.

When I was in Paris this past May I noticed a lot of beggars in the Tuileries Garden. I was very aware of the situation thanks, once again, to the seasoned posters. There were more beggars out in force this time than when I was there in 2001.

In 2001 right in front of my hotel someone asked me for change, who looked very questionable, and I played dumb and said sorry I don't have any money on me as I was holding my purse very tightly to my body.

And here's another one to beware of: people taking tyhe train into Amsterdam from Schiphol...many folks will dump the luggage in the large vestibule areas of those "commuter" trains that are often filled with workers around the time of early morning flight arrivals. Travelers are tired and figure it is only a 15-20 minute trip so why fight for a seat.

The train stops at one of the intermendiate stations (Sloterdijk comes to mind) and someone reaches in from the platform, grabs a bag, or bags, and runs.

What can you do? Not a lot especially if they leave one bag behind.

I saw this being tried but fortunately the travelers were alert enough to prevent it.

Last year in Rome Termini station, someone approached my dad with a piece of paper, and distracted him enough to allow an accomplice to steal one of his bags. Fortunately, it was the bag with mostly granola bars in it, and a few books. It was disturbing, but when you consider that they could have stolen the other more important bag containing medicine, we figure he got off easy.

This year, travelling with my folks in Italy, we were warned everywhere about pickpockets, and experienced them twice on the Rome Metro near the Termini station.

The first time, a girl had marked us as targets. She pushed her way rather rudely onto the crowded subway train. She was trying to disorient us, make us even more confused. When I pushed my way on, she was a little confused herself. She was trying to position herself near my mom and her oh-so-convenient fannypack. The girl moved around me, and stood in front of my mom. She was wearing a jacket and holding another in her hand, right above the fannypack. Her other hand was underneath her jacket, moving quickly. I immediately called attention to it, brushing aside her jacket, and grabbed her arm as soon as she tried to bolt.

Other girls (her accomplices) were standing nearby and grabbed her as if they were helping me catch her, pulled her off the subway car, and the doors shut.

No damage done - my mom wears a money belt, and the thief would only have gotten a lipstick if I hadn't stopped her.

The next night, we were already on the subway, when two young men got on. One fellow had a backpack strapped to his front, and he kept his hand in behind it. He stood in front of my dad, and immediately I saw his hand probing my dad's camera bag. My dad felt it. I simply advised my parents to step away from the two fellows and kept my eye onthem. They knew we had discovered them, and they got off at the next stop, to hunt more easy prey.

Thieves don't care who you are, how old you are, how infirm or helpless. I totally avoid beggars, and I say "no" rather rudely to people who persist in begging or trying to sell me something. I watch my stuff closely, and I keep my valuables close to me at all times.

I think the Metro in Rome is especially dangerous. My best advice is don't trust anybody, but don't obsess about it. Plan it so that if you are robbed, it doesn't ruin your vacation.

I like to use a purse that has a zip closing - when it's closed I use one of those key clips (that operate with spring slider that you need to use your hand and thumb to release? I know it's called something, but can't remember what) Anyhow... Clip that through the zipper end and through the purse strap attachment loop. You really have to think - and it takes a moment or two - to get it open. So far - no problem with loosing anything, although shop attendants are often amused...

I lost my purse to a thief while we were dining on the patio of the Restaurante Garduna behind the Boqueria in Barcelona. Wow! That guy was brilliant. We were alone on the patio, and there were no passersby to worry about. Nevertheless, I kept my purse on my lap.

A young man approached our table from out of nowhere, posing as a waiter, and asked how everything was. He too quickly disappeared around the corner of the building, after being assured our meal was delicious. In fact, he disappeared so quickly, I immediately smelled a rat and looked for my purse, which, of course, was now missing.

I was not aware of him touching either of us in any way, and there was no one else in the area. Amazing!

The only things in the purse were my digital camera and photo downloader. I'd given my passport, credit card, and driver's license to my sister, to keep in her money belt.

I replaced the camera when we arrived in Sevilla, for a premium price, and of course I had to buy a new purse as well. This time I bought a purse that I can sling over my body. In the future, I'll either keep it around my waist while I eat or loop it under a chair leg.

For anyone who carries a purse, rather than using a money belt, and maintains that all is required to avoid being victimized by thieves is to be vigilant, you're kidding yourself. We were more than vigilant, bordering on paranoid throughout Spain, but a money belt is the only defence against the type of theft we experienced.

The meal at Restaurante Garduna, by the way, was delicious and reasonably priced.

By the way, I don't fault the Barcelona police for the theft. I was impressed by the police presence in the city. On one block, in fact, I noticed three policemen posted along one long block near the cathedral, obviously there to prevent crime.

My in progress report will have the details of my father's pickpocket experience but I just wanted to offer this suggestion:

If you need to pay a cab driver when you arrive somewhere, it might not be a bad idea to be ALREADY holding some money in a closed hand when you arrive at your destination.

My dad had his entire wallet in his hand, in the taxi. Gypsy woman comes to window (WHICH IS UP/CLOSED) and my father motions to her to go away while flailing his wallet encumbered hand at her.

She left. By the time we were on the train to Venice, wallet missing.

As I have said, the remainder of the details will be in report, but think about my above suggestion as a possibility.

Question: My plan is to use a moneybelt for passport, cc and money, (keeping small bills easily obtainable in pocket) and only use my daypack for water, camera (cheapest digital on planet), hairbrush, snack and guidebook. Should I worry that daypack will disappear, or simply that items in it will be rifled through on trains? Haven't been to Italy in years and now a bit concerned with all these warnings. Should I just forget the daypack?---it is one of those very comfortable "healthy back" bags with wide straps, but they must needs lie on the back because of their design.

We have been lucky to never run into a pickpocket during our travels, always use a money belt and other precautions, but some of these stories are just amazing. I wonder if there is a nice mouse trap one could leave set in a conveniently open, and otherwise empty, purse. That would certainly add some fun and excitement to the trip now, wouldn't it?

I just returned from Spain and was amazed at how many times I could have strolled off with someone's purse or camera bag.

We were walking down Darro Street in Granada and it narrows to a small, one-way street with a very narrow sidewalk. We walked by one sidewalk cafe where the woman had hung her purse on the back of her chair, just dangling in the sidewalk lane . . . I could have just casually taken it and walked on and she would never have noticed. Or, it would have been quite easy for a car or moto to grab it as they went by, it was that close.

Another was inside the Alhambra . . . a guy had sat his open camera case down (with another camera/lenses inside) and walked away to take photos . . . he never looked back, never turned around . . . we stood and watched him for at least 5 min, he never paid any attention . . . I could have taken his bag, too!

In the Boqueria market in Barcelona, we saw two guys running with a purse . . . we assume it had just been stolen. The people at a table near us had put their bags on a chair behind them, what were they thinking!

It's amazing how careless people are . . . don't be one of them.

Sandy (in Denton)

You want a story about carelessness?

In Nepal, a pretty safe place, my daughter knew a man who actually fell asleep on a bench alongside a street with a $3,000 camera resting on his chest (the camera belonged to his boss). Needless to say, that was just a little too tempting. When he woke up, the camera was gone.

When traveling, I always carry three fairly bulky items (can't be put into a pocket) that I'd rather not lose: a good digital camera, my PDA (with translation dictionaries, interactive maps, and lots of other stuff), and my european cell phone. I use a fanny pack from the Travelsmith catelog that has a steel cable in the strap, so it can't be easily cut. I wear it in the front, not the back.

It has one of those squeeze-to-open plastic latches to hold the strap closed, but it's surrounded by a vinylized fabric cover which velcros around it to cover the latch. When I first got it, I was annoyed to find that if you squeezed in the right spot on the cover, you could easily open the latch despite its being covered! You'd have to know where the latch was under the fabric cover (about in the middle), but I assume that pickpockets become familiar with these products after a while.

I thought about returning it as unacceptable, but instead I created a small U-shaped bracket out of aluminum to cover the latch, and stitched it to the strap under the cover. It's hard to describe in words, but it keeps the latched from being squeezed to open it when the cover is velcroed shut.

On our recent trip to Provence, I kept my wallet in a zippered and then buttoned pants pocket in some travel pants, also from TravelSmith. We didn't use moneybelts. But in big cities like Paris or Rome, and in closer quarters like the Metro, we would use them.

- Larry

I carry an over the shoulder purse with a zipper, but like another poster who secures the zipper, I do so as well - with a spring-loaded hair clip. To get on my bag, someone would have to be at my hip, remove the clip, and open the zipper.
I know I'm not very viligant with my purse on a normal day(I'm the person that leaves it at restaurants, in cars, at my office...), so I know to carry something safer when I travel.

Had problems with the Gypsies in Spain, but no troubles in any travels in Italy, Ireland or the states.

Thieves don't have to laboriously unfasten your pack or bag or pocket if they can slit it. No, it hasn't happened to me, but it's been reported on other forums.

I've watched several thefts in Italy and Greece in my travels and feel secure because I carry my passport, my two credit/ATM cards and most of my money in a money belt under layers of clothing, and I carry any money I'll be using in the near future in my closed hand. That hand stays in my pocket. I don't carry any kind of purse or bag, and if I must have a backpack, I use a clear one where a potential thief sees there's nothing worth stealing.

I have a purse that I hold across my body and i chain my wallet to the purse inside....my SO has a gizmo from TravelSmith that is a small cloth pouch he puts his wallet in, and then it loops onto his belt before he puts it in his pocket. Between the 2 we have traveled in London , Paris and Spain w/ no problem. But I am paranoid by nature so that helps

When I went to Rome recently, my husband and I both used those neck pouches to carry our cash, credit cards and an ID. We still carried a backpack around for a guidebook, water, umbrella (it rained a lot), and camera, which I was able to clip into the backpack.

Worked great, and we were only ever approached once--a couple of boys had started to come up right behind my husband when he turned around. He's a big guy, and once he started going toward them, they ran.

There were a lot of old gypsy women around begging, and made me feel awful about not giving them money until I remembered what I read on this site about being distracted, or robbed once you got your money out. The only person I gave money to was the accordian player near the Pantheon! Musicians always give fellow musicians money.

A few years ago while on a bus in London, a man stood directly in front of my mother-in-law who was sitting opposite me. Everytime the bus started and stopped, he would lean closer and closer to her pretending he lost his balance. At one point, as he leaned forward, he tried to open her purse which was strapped across her shoulder with the bag on on her lap. I said something to him and he stopped, but the bus driver noticed that he did it again and stopped the bus and told the man to get off. The bus driver told her to shout "get away from me" if it ever happened again.

Do you carry your passport?

This might be a good thread to ask about carrying your passport. Four people have mentioned it, but I don't carry mine. I leave it back in my B&B with any airline tickets, or, in a hotel in a larger city, in the hotel's safe. I should say that my travel is generally in western Europe (England, France, Spain, and Italy).

The only time I've ever been asked for a passport is when changing traveler's checks, and these days, with ATMs, I don't use traveler's checks any more. I do carry a copy of my passport's picture page, but that's it. And I do carry the passport for any travel on public long-haul transport (planes & trains).

I was once stopped for a routine traffic check while driving in Italy. The two young officers puzzled over my Massachusetts driver's licence and car rental agreement, but never asked for my passport.

Why carry, and risk losing, a passport?

- Larry

Thanks for the reminder, mpprh, and thanks for all the horror stories and defense tactics.

Ann41, I have told my story (seeing a young woman's money purse grabbed when she got it out to give some coins to a begging child) more than once on this forum, but if the thought crossed your mind and kept you from being robbed then I am very happy to have repeated it.

You sure are right about musicians. Mine ALWAYS drops something in the hat. I think it's a nice tradition that recognizes music's cross-cultural bond.

justretired, in answer to your question, no I do not carry my passport around with me. I too just carry a photocopy of the main page. I leave my passport at one of my friends houses or in the hotel safe.