Avoid Pickpockets When Traveling Abroad

Pickpocketing is one of the world’s oldest professions and each year thousands of travelers fall prey to this crime. While the majority of trips to foreign countries are incident free, the potential for becoming a target for pickpocketing does exist. Keep in mind; this is a crime of opportunity. Using a little common sense and educating yourself on how criminals operate can minimize the risk.

Travelers make attractive targets, especially when traveling overseas because pickpockets know travelers typically carry more money than locals. They generally focus on the public during times when they might be carrying more money than usual, such as during store sales, at fairs, carnivals, horse races, gambling casinos or near banks. Criminals also know that even if they are caught, they still have a good chance of avoiding prosecution because travelers very seldom return to their vacation destination to give testimony.

Another problem with pickpocketing is even if you see or feel what is happening, you have no evidence. The criminal will usually claim he or she accidentally bumped into you or someone shoved them into you.

Pickpockets are not the unsavory characters one might visualize. They look just like you and I and are experts at blending in. These individuals can be male or female, children or grandmothers, and sometimes they even dress as tourists.

Scams

• Children as thieves- In this scenario a group of children run up to you poking and jabbing you with newspaper or cardboard while asking you for money, However, this is a diversion. While you only feel the jabs of the newspaper or cardboard, they remove anything of value from your purse or pockets. The newspaper is used to shield their hands from your view. • Bump and Run- A pickpocket team sandwiches the victim between them, one in front of you and one behind you, then as you are walking the “stall” in front of you suddenly stops so that you bump into him or her. The accomplice then pretends to accidentally bump into you from behind and apologizes while removing your wallet. • Intoxicated woman- an attractive woman pretending to be intoxicated grabs or hugs an unsuspecting male victim and steals his wallet while he is distracted. • Warm welcome- in some countries a member of the pickpocket team approaches the victim with open arms and a warm friendly smile on their face. As he or she embraces you, an accomplice strikes you on the back, creating enough distraction to steal your wallet. • Soiled Clothing- one member of the pickpocket team soils your clothes- using a condiment such as ketchup or mustard, ice cream or a spilled drink. Then, another member of the team brings it to your attention. At this point another accomplice appears and begins assisting you in removing the stain from your clothing while another member of the pickpocket team picks up your purse or other valuables that you have laid down while you assisted with removing the stain. • Snatch and Run- snatch and run thieves are usually teenagers who grab a purse, wallet or fanny pack and take off running or speed away on a motorcycle.

Prevention

General

• Be aware of your surroundings. Avoid looking lost, confused or distracted. Individuals who seem sure of themselves and aware of their surroundings make less attractive targets. • Consider carrying a “dummy” wallet in your purse or pocket, to confuse the pickpocket and make him or her believe this is your real wallet. • Be careful in crowded areas, pickpockets have been known to deliberately bump or jostle an unsuspecting victim in a crowd. This may be a distraction technique. • Avoid carrying valuables in a backpack or fanny pack. Anyone can easily reach into a backpack without alerting you. If you choose to wear a fanny pack, only wear it in the front and make sure the buckle is near the pouch in front so a pickpocket would have a more difficult time getting to the latch without your knowledge. • Don’t flash your money, pickpockets observe potential victims when shopping and then later know exactly where to lift your wallet. • Dress down; don’t attract thieves by looking wealthy. • Remove unnecessary credit cards from your purse or wallet prior to leaving for your destination. • Do your homework, find out where the bad parts of the city or countryside are before you get there, and ask the hotel staff for more specific information once you arrive. • Be careful at banks and automated teller machines, pickpockets have been known to hang around banks and ATMs at airports and shopping malls. After victims make cash withdrawals, the criminals can see exactly where your wallets or purses are stored and steal them later. • Walk with confidence and make eye contact to discourage pickpockets.

Men

• Avoid carrying your wallet in your back pocket if possible. Front pockets are safer. • Place your wallet in your pocket sideways or place a rubber band around it. This makes it more difficult to get the wallet out of your pocket. • Don’t “pat” your pocket to see if your wallet is still there. This alerts the pickpocket of the location of your wallet. • Divide your cash up and place it in various locations such as socks or other pockets so if your wallet is stolen, you still have some money. • Consider carrying your valuables in a money belt under you clothing.

Women

• Avoid drawstring purses. A purse with a zippered compartment works best. • Carry your purse in front of you. • If your purse has a flap, wear the flap against your body. • Avoid hanging your purse on the back of a chair in a public place. Place it in your lap. • Never leave your purse unattended. • To avoid having your purse stolen, walk away from the curb and against traffic. In some countries, thefts are common by backseat motorcycle riders.

Don’t let a pickpocket spoil your trip. By familiarizing yourself with the typical scams thieves use to rob travelers and recognizing the scenarios ahead of time, you will recognize situations to avoid, and keep you attention focused on your valuables, and not on their intentional distractions.

Johnny May, CPP, is an independent trainer/consultant who specializes in protecting individuals and organizations from identity theft. He is also the author of Johnny May’s Guide to Preventing Identity Theft. For more information visit www.identitytheftinfo.com

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