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I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the world and thankfully, have never had my wallet, phone or bag stolen. I think it’s a mix of knowing the tricks, being hyper-aware of my surroundings and being lucky. As you will see in the videos below, it only takes a second for a thief to make your trip miserable, so I’m sharing different scenarios that happened recently in major tourist destinations. RELATED: VIDEO: Italian Vigilante Records Thieves and Shows How Easy It is to Be Pickpocketed
London
In London and other parts of the world, you have to worry about thieves on motorcycles, e-bikes, scooters and even by foot, cruising up from behind or the side and grabbing your phone while you’re using it. Here’s an example of how quick they are and there’s really nothing you can do about it. Heck, my brother even had it happen to him 10 or 15 years ago while walking down the streets of South Norwalk, Connecticut. A guy on a bike just grabbed the phone out of his hand while he was talking to someone. And my brother isn’t a little guy, but he lost his phone since the man was on a bicycle and was super quick.
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Mallorca
Oftentimes, the pickpocketers work in teams with a partner or two and they dress up like tourists. Here’s a classic example of an oblivious man in Mallorca, Spain, about to become a victim. But thankfully, vigilante citizens scared them away.
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Rome
Here’s another unsuccessful attempt by three teenage or early twenties girls targeting tourists on a Rome Metro. This happens all the time, especially in crowded areas like subways, trains, streets, boats, etc. I was once on a tour of a church in Germany on Palm Sunday and one of the travel writers in our group had her wallet stolen while we were inside the church. It really can (and does) happen everywhere.
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New York City
Another easy target is people on their phones or who have them in their pockets on trains or subways, standing next to the door. Thieves wait for the door to start closing to make their move. They can do it from inside or outside the car, as demonstrated in the video below, although I think this one was staged. However, it still demonstrates the point.
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Stairs
I first learned of this scam from a passenger on our Princess cruise out of Barcelona a couple of summers ago. While checking in, I overheard an American lady telling the agent how she almost didn’t make the cruise because a few days prior, when she arrived in the city, a couple of young girls told her the escalator at the train station was broken (it wasn’t) and offered to help carry her bags up the stairs. While one person carried a bag, the other stole from the American’s purse while she carried her other bag up. Below is an example of how it happens:
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Even seasoned travelers like Rick Steves have been pickpocketed (he told me in an interview it happened three times). The best protection is to know the scams, be aware, use an anti-theft bag and always keep an eye on your belongings.
What you don’t want to do is wear flashy or expensive jewelry, accessories or watches, as it makes you a target, and don’t fight back. Just yesterday, a masked “Rolex robber” in London stabbed a man to death in front of his partner outside a five-star hotel in London. “Witnesses described seeing a masked man attempting to steal a gold watch in broad daylight before pulling out a knife and plunging it into the chest of the 24-year-old victim.” The Telegraph
KEEP READING:
–Is Your Hotel Scamming You?
–Don’t Fall For It: Scammers are Pretending to Be Customs and Border Protection Agents
–Cybersecurity and Fraud Expert Shares Tips on How Not to Get Scammed When Traveling
–How to Avoid Vacation Rental Scams
–Don’t Fall For These QR Code Scams
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