Which link is that Raincitygirl ?
One link ("online") seems to go nowhere ("This is not where you wanted to go. Please insert more details...") and the other ("Louvre strike") seems only to be about the Louver employee strike in protest of the pickpockets.

The link is provided by Dani, who left a comment on David's blog. This is her comment:

<i>"The irony of me answering the question, “do you speak English”? with “no, I don’t” always seems lost on the young women that ask me. I’ve lived in Paris for 20 years and I do believe the problem has gotten worse. There are more groups of kids working the crowds and they are better organized and better trained by their “bosses”. Here is a very good report that explains why the French police have an extremely difficult battle on their hands.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120615-...aris-petitions

The best thing to do is be prepared for possibility of getting pick-pocketed. Follow tips given above and provided by the American consulate (such as have a copy of your passport and a list of your credit card info and contact numbers to report stolen cards accessible). Be vigilant and street smart. The sad fact is that if you are in a touristy area you can count on it that you are constantly being checked out as a potential victim."</i>

Yes, thanks NYCFoodSnob, that's the one. Sorry about that Mathieu.
It was an interesting clip.

Thank you both for that link. It's very interesting. I'm surprised at how involved the whole tracking process is, and at the dedicated efforts of both the Romanian and French authorities in administering it. I was equally surprised at the brazen attitudes of the young offenders.

After all my visits to Paris in years past, last October I had the ring scam tried on me outside the Musee D'Orsay (I was prepared, and accidentally knocked the ring out of the insistent girl's hand into the river). I then had my wallet lifted a few days later during my last 30 minutes in Paris, at Gare du Nord, after paying for a final beer at an outdoor cafe outside the station while observing the colourful circus of police, vendors, musicians and loiterers going on there. I didn't realise my loss until I arrived at London St. Pancras a few hours later.

I was surprised at how brazen they were too, I am sure they are well coached.
That is too bad about your wallet though.

I had three creeps working in tandem try to rip me off in the Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence last October as I was waiting for the train to Naples.
I was onto the first two and ran them off although creep number two got right into my space in front of my locked suitcase and leaned in practically in my face as he waved a bit of cardboard under my nose. He had one arm fully bandaged and held out in front of him, I had seen other people with bandaged arms like that around Florence and thought it was a sympathy tool for begging. He almost got a kick in the groin but backed off right before I raised my foot. I suddenly realized that his arm was actually under his jacket where he could use it for pick pocketing and that was likely a stick that he had fully bandaged. Very tricky!

What really fooled me and I thought I had been so vigilant was the man who sat down next to me with a suitcase and looked like another traveller.(the other two looked feral). He was in on it as I discovered when creep number one started sidling up from another direction and I just happened to glance at the seated man and catch him signalling to this guy. I stood up, grabbed my suitcase and faced the seated guy and told him off. He just got up like nothing had happened and walked away.

When I got to Naples and the cab driver was lifting my suitcase out of the trunk the lock fell off the front pocket of my suitcase. The driver dropped it, threw his arms in the air and said "that wasn't me!"
The man with the bandaged arm had managed to unlock it.

Reading this thread has me not wanting to visit Italy (at least the tourist places) or Paris again (after my Sept trip). I spent 3 weeks in Germany and Austria in '11 and never had a problem (and never had to worry about it). I was constantly approached by polite men offering to carry my suitcase up a flight of stares at train stations. I won't be able to accept any such offers in Paris. It's a shame we all have to be on guard there.

Susan001 that would be a shame. Yes these things happen but they are not the majority of people's experiences.

Oops. Meant "stairs" not "stares." I must be tired. Jamikins, I'll probably continue to visit these places, but I'm certainly going to be on my guard at Paris Nord.

susan that would really be a shame. I absolutely love Italy and Paris and it would take a lot to keep me away. As annoying as my experience in Florence was, I wasn't frightened and in a way it was sort of amusing.

I will be going back to Italy at the first opportunity. It is just good to read about the kind of things that are out there so that you keep your eyes open and your wits about you.

I would think it extremely reckless to let anyone carry your suitcase anywhere.

I would expect them to just take it and run. It seems that you are VERY trusting - to me incredibly so.

But then as a native New Yorker things that seem obvious to me are - I have learned - not so to a lot of other people. (My father taught me about the shell game and similar when I was 7. I just assumed everyone knew about these scams.)

Unless you are quite elderly or pregnant I too would not need or want someone to carry my suitcase up the stairs. Its just a tad too trusting to me..I do realize some people are being nice but it will only take one negative experience for you to see how its not the best idea ,, even in Germany etc..

nytraveler: normally I would say no, but struggling and tired, I finally started saying yes. My instincts are good -- these were business people, or sometimes a husband (with his wife kids) who was obviously just trying to be helpful. I saw this repeatedly in Germany. It makes me think well of the country.

The "bandaged arm" thing was done to us in St. Petersburg--BUT holding out one of the very lovely scarves they have there. It was pretty cool.
We decided we should fill a condom with water, and let them have at DH's bag at his waist. LOL
I could STILL identify the "boss" of that gang of roma children on Ligne 1.

Water pistols are your friends, seriously. Never used one, but if you're in the paranoid crowd it would seem pretty simple.

ha ha, susan, I was married to a German for 22 years, don't bother thinking too well of the country because you encountered a few gentlemen, I can assure you they most certainly not all like that, lol

"I would think it extremely reckless to let anyone carry your suitcase anywhere." What a sad state we are in that we must distrust EVERYONE.

"Unless you are quite elderly or pregnant I too would not need or want someone to carry my suitcase up the stairs." I am neither -- but just retired from teaching, so not young. The suitcase got heavier and heavier with every flight (I also was wearing a backpack with camera gear).

Sorry Susan I have enough travel experience that I pack light, a 22 inch suitcase and my messenger style purse/bag, I suppose a less experienced traveller may not realize or think about all the times they will have to lift and carry their bag.

Its just a fact of life that there are people who try to make profit off of others naivety, it would be nice if we could trust everyone.

A small suitcase packed lightly does not an "experienced traveler" make.

Justine: I carry a 22 inch carry on. I agree the backpack was a mistake. I'm carrying a lighter security purse this time (with compact camera rather than DSLR and heavy lenses). Of course it would be foolish to trust everyone.... perhaps I was naive to trust a few.... but in the moment it felt chivalrous and helpful... and I accepted the help from people who didn't look at all like scam artists. Point taken though.

yes well whatever sparkchaser, I am very experienced having visited Europe, and more specifically france most often , for at least last 4 decades, often for weeks , even months at a time , and I don't lug a huge case since I know how many times I have to lift and carry the thing.. and while chivalrous people do exist but you cannot count on them being around. I have learned to count on myself period. I have of course been with family and friends , but have done some solo trips and then one really learns to be self sufficient.

I have also done enough train travel to recognize inexperienced travellers, since they are the ones struggling with stupid big bags usually trying to get on the trains, lol If you have done that once before you are unlikely to ever repeat the experience.

Susan, I do realize how heavy and cumbersome good camera gear and bag can be... I had a friend come with me once to Paris, it was her first trip to Europe , and she had packed reasonably light with a 24 inch bag, but she also had a backpack type camera bag( one of those one shoulder type that can be swung to front ) and fully loaded with her gear it was heavy! I had made a small comment about it just before out trip, and she poo pooed me , having taken it to places like Hawaii, LA and Caribbean before, but within a few days into our Paris trip she finally understood how much walking, how many stairs, and how heavier that bag seemed to be getting.lol

She did however get some lovely photos.

I heft my checked bag onto trains all the time. It's never been an issue.

"I had made a small comment about it just before out trip, and she poo pooed me , having taken it to places like Hawaii, LA and Caribbean before, but within a few days into our Paris trip she finally understood how much walking, how many stairs, and how heavier that bag seemed to be getting.lol"

Canon now makes a compact that generates almost the same quality as a DSLR (same size sensor). The performance is sluggish, but I'm not going to be shooting action. Perfect travel camera.

sparkchaser, I am thinking you are a male weighing in at least 150 lbs or more and that is hardly comparable to what a 115-125 lbs woman can "heft" since we are at a disadvantage anyways with upper body strength pound to pound with a male .

Susan001,

I used to carry a Nikon D700 and a collection of massive lenses in a backpack on my trips to Europe. I've since switched to the micro four thirds system cameras from Panasonic and Olympus. The difference in weight and size is huge. I have the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and it's tiny compared to the D700. One great thing is that you are less noticed when carrying a small micro four thirds camera versus a massive DSLR.

Here's a comparison of my current gear.

http://j.mp/18GcHXv

Even with a "consumer" Nikon DSLR, the Olympus is much smaller
http://camerasize.com/compare/#393,289

The image quality of the micro four thirds system comes very close to a DSLR and in some cases surpasses it. Another plus is that you don't need a backpack. I use a messenger style camera bag.

Now if only this came in a wallet or cell phone version for pickpockets with slippery fingers :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43wWXcn-OQk

RunningRabbit77: Thank you for the helpful post. I've considered micro 4/3s; my brother has one (an Olympus Pen) with several lenses. But I wanted something even more portable than that. I went with the Canon G1 X, and the image quality is every bit as good as most APS-C models, because the sensor is nearly as big (bigger sensor than 4/3 models). With a sharp retractable lens, it's very compact. I'm actually amazed at the images it produces, though performance is sluggish.

I want a micro 4/3rds for exactly the travel reason! They are about the 2nd generation of them - and prices are still pretty high. I'm waiting for a few more generations and prices to come down. The other thing is that I'm spoiled with a great all-purpose lens (28-280) and the micro 4/3 don't have anything comparable yet - I would be swapping lenses a lot.

Have not been pick-pocked in Paris. On one occasion I saw a fellow following my wife, stepped in between them and looked into his eyes. He casually walked away. Also a couple years ago someone tried the ring scam on us. I had read about it many times, but never seen it before. Unfortunately(for him) I couldn't help it - I started laughing. He walked away. I have leg Pouches with Velcro straps that go around your calves. credit/debit cards and passports are stashed there.
The main thing is to just be aware of what is going on around you.

Leg pouches that go around your calves ??? Oy vey !

I think I'd rather stay home and watch over my belongings than wear something like that. But that's maybe just me. I'm assuming that if you have to use a card that's stashed in there while you're out and about, that you'd have to bend over and roll up a trouser leg to retrieve it ? In a shop or a restaurant ?

I hope there are no pick-pocketers here reading all this (but if there're smart, they will be) or the next thing you know, they'll be attacking bulky looking calves outside Bastille metro or around the Eiffel tower. No one will be safe anymore.

surfmom, Panasonic just introduced the G6 (first was G1), so we've seen 6 generations of those. Sadly, the image quality is still not quite where it should be. Olympus Pen is now on it's 5th generation. If I went with one of these, I would get the Olympus, body only and get the Panasonic lenses (a lot of people are doing this). But for travel, the 4/3 zooms still protrude quite a bit (I'm thinking smaller camera case), so I have found the retractable lens (high end enthusiast models like the Canon G1X or Sony RX100) more to my liking for this purpose.

OP here. I'm happy to report that we had no problems at all. Very glad I packed my PacSafe bag because my gorgeous camera bag is HEAVY! Never saw the ring scam, but did have a couple of ladies ask us at the Eiffel Tower "do you speak English?" Kids left their iPhones in the apartment. Easy Peasy. Thanks everyone... for your suggestions.

Amy -- so glad you had no problems. I used my PacSafe bag for the first time yesterday (just testing out its features). It works okay for intended purpose, but I'm certainly not going to gain favor of the fashion police. It just gives peace of mind knowing pickpockets can get in and that's worth something.

"I'm assuming that if you have to use a card that's stashed in there (leg pouch) while you're out and about, that you'd have to bend over and roll up a trouser leg to retrieve it ? In a shop or a restaurant ?"

No - you use it just like you would a money belt - keep stuff in there that you don't need to access in public. You put your walking around money and a card in your pocket. I can see how this would be preferable to a money belt for some people.

We've been using the 'leg stash' type security pouches for a few years... only useful if you travel in cooler weather (wearing long pants). Very comfortable to wear, and yes, you only store excess cash, extra cards, passport if you want to carry it - - you hold out the day's cash and one card for use while sightseeing. If you do need to retrieve something from the pouch, you do so in the W.C. or privately, and you don't have to partially undress to get to it (compared to waist kind).

Today (sat) is our 3rd full day in Paris for the first time. All the warnings on this forum have been put to use as good precautions. Until today we had been approached just twice with a petition and had seen nothing else untoward.

Today, was approached at least 5x with the ring scam. The 2nd time was while walking along the Seine just west of the pont Alexander bridge. My daughter was walking with her head down and saw the woman drop the ring out of her long sleeve. I saw her as we walked past and just kept walking. None of the time DH and I were approached were very 'hard sell'. DH did see a youngish man in the metro tunnel do an about face and seem to follow an older woman with a rolling bag though she was going in the opposite direction so we could not keep an eye on her. We also saw 3 youngish men go running down rue de rivoli soon followed by 3 police on rollerblades.

All in all, an interesting day. Now to finish my wine and head to Notre Dame to attempt the stairs...

I have a pair of black travel pants with a zippered inside front pocket where I keep credit card and cash. I think I got them at LLBean.

Susan: Agreed; the PacSafe could use a fashion makeover. I got mine in khaki (what was I thinking?) but I used it for the rest of our three week trip... it was much lighter than my "fashionable" camera bag, held more, is so well organized... just wish it looked better.

Gypsies and pickpockets are yesterday's news.

This is the new terror for Parisian tourists: FERAL CAT GANGS!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...eral-cats.html

And when I say "Parisian", I man Belfortian. ;)