Ever been PICKPOCKETED??

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

My wife and I just returned from a wonderful three week vacation in Ireland--six nights in Dublin, followed by five other towns in the west (Dingle, Ennis, Kenmare, etc). We had a great time driving all around, staying in wonderful (but very affordable) B&Bs, seeing all the sights, and downing many a Guinness in various public houses! However, it did not start out so great...

We got off the plane from HELL A X in Dublin in the afternoon, and headed to our hotel ("fancy-pants travel" as some of you would call it! :) for a brief nap. Then, like dumbasses, we started walking around town (O'Connell Street, Parnell Street--LOADED with tourists, ugh!), taking photos and not paying very close attention. My wife had her wallet in her purse, zipped up, inside a backpack, zipped up. Some dirtbag must have followed us and observed as she used her credit cards and/or scanned chips with scanners. We bought some takeout, wine, and headed back to our hotel for an early night. THen, she noticed her wallet was gone. Fortunately they didn't also take her passport and mobile phone. We went back to the stores we visited to see whether anyone had found it, then made a report to the police. Very clearly a case of pickpocketing.

We called her various credit cards and cancelled them. Fortunately mine (even on some joint accounts) were not affected, so we still had a means to pay for things and withdraw Euros (exchanging dollars for euros in the U.S. is a MASSIVE Ripoff!!!). The next day, we started noticing fraudulent charges piling up--small charges first, then larger amounts. We are not responsible for any of it, we are told (MasterCards and Visas)

These shitebags also got a book of checks, so we had to stop payment on them. Fortunately, we have a very good credit union, and the hotel was very helpful in letting us make all the calls we needed free of charge.

In addition to this, they also got away with a few hundred dollars worth of dollars and euros.

I also wonder whether these crooks work in conjunction with businesses who process these fraudulent charges and--obviously--don't ask for ID. Probably a massive ring of organized crime, and not the work of a couple isolated induhviduals.

While that certainly sucks, we certainly weren't about to let it ruin one more minute of our trip than necessary. We had a great time!

Now, mind you--we didn't just fall off the turnip truck. We are both in our 40s, and have never been pickpocked before. We have traveled many times in Europe and all over North America--New York City, ST. Louis, Philly, Portland, the Bay Area, HELL A, Hawaii four times. I have also travel regularly for business in North America, Asia, and Europe.

Ironically, we were told that Ireland is quite safe. In terms of violent crime, I believe this is true, but, we found out from the locals, that pickpocketing is rife in Dublin, and is certainly not unheard of elsewhere in the country!

We were in Russia for business/vacation ten years ago and had a perfect trip--never a problem. All the guidebooks warned: The Russian mafia's gonna get you! The street thugs are gonna get you! The crooked police are gonna get you! We had no problem.

We were in Rome in 2000 and all the guidebooks warned the gypsy kids are expert pickpockets and will clean you out in a split second. Never had a problem!

Then it happens in Ireland. Oh well, bad people everywhere!

ANYWAY, we believe this is behind us at this point (except for closing our bank account), BUTT, I wonder what info is on those chips in the credit cards. Are the cc companies dumb enough to put EVERYTHING about you on those chips??? SSN? Passwords, etc????

What should we do to safeguard ourselves now--aside from being more careful, using a money belt instead of a wallet, and getting RFID blockers?

Has is ever happened to you? Thoughts?

[Bee21]

Last time I was a child and was robbed by children in my own home country. It happens. You can't prepare for it. Just carry minimal stuff and try not to look too much like a cashed up tourist. At least you didn't get hurt, some bag snatchers can be quite violent (i heard some horror stories about Italy)

I find those pouches you carry under clothes quite useful. I am more paranoid about losing the passport, that is a major pain, ccs can be cancelled in no time. Just carry the information around so that you can notify them immediately.

I also tend to carry only 1 cc with very low limit, local cash in various places (sometimes in my bra if I don't feel safe). Leave the checkbooks at home.

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

Thanks for your reply. Leaving the checkbook at home is a great idea-not only for travel, but for every day. The only reason we had them at all, is just that it is an engrained habit, stretching back many years. I cannot even remember the last time I actually wrote a check. We have both discontinued this antiquated habit!

[SnackDog]

I've had my share of trouble, although more in Latin America than Europe. It's always a drag and sometimes embarrassing.  I sort of like pickpockets when I compare them to the knife or gun wielding muggers in the Americas. The loss of property is nothing relative to the threat of violence or loss of life, so pickpocketing is pretty polite in that respect.

[expatartist]

The loss of property is nothing relative to the threat of violence or loss of life, so pickpocketing is pretty polite in that respect.

+1!

Also, scanners on ATMs are increasingly common. Advice I've heard says to only use ATMs inside banks since they'll be more secure, but that's not always possible.

* This summer in Athens, I fell for what I later found out was a common scam, while sitting outside in a cafe. The neighborhood where I stay is not typically overrun by tourists, but more locals/bohemians slumming it. I may have been targeted via a bracelet seller who initially approached me and discovered I didn't speak Greek. 5 mins later, two 20-something guys came over with an A4 size piece of paper (business-size) with Greek writing, doubtless explaining their plight, speaking Greek. I didn't give them any cash and was keeping a sharp eye on my purse which lay on the chair next to me. 90 seconds after they left, the server asked: "Is your phone on the table?"
It wasn't any more! They'd slid the paper on top of my phone and lifted the phone from behind it. He took off after them, but they'd melted into an alley somewhere. Luckily there was an internet cafe nearby, so it was easy to change passwords, and I never leave credit card or bank info in my phone. Replaced a cheap Samsung with a cheap Huawei. It was a 100 Euro lesson, and went into the 'stupidity tax' budget column.

* Old Nokia phone stolen from my pocket in 2010 on Bangkok's BTS metro bridge, above the tire-burning protesters. There were all sorts running about during that time. One guy bumped into me and the other must've slipped his hand into my pocket. It was worth max US$40.

* Very nice Victorinox wheeled backpack off a bus in Bangkok in 2004. Stupidly, I'd left it in the luggage area and was sitting in front, so didn't keep the bag in my line of sight. There were special art supplies inside for a workshop in Myanmar, so I wasn't able to do it as planned. But luckily, I'd booked travel insurance for the first time ever. And Bangkok is a great spot to buy a holiday wardrobe for next to nothing. Considering the years I've spend traveling (mostly Europe and Asia), I've been really lucky.

[Cranky]

I had my wallet stolen out of my purse in Panera, so a much less exotic story - it was crowded and my hands were full. I didn't even notice that it was gone until the next morning, by which time my cards had all been shut down.

It was a great big nuisance. Interestingly, there were security photos of the people who used my cards at Target and Best Buy. The police said they were pros.

[TheAnonOne]

I never have, I wonder how easily someone could get something out of my front jeans pockets but the answer is probably easier than I would like.

We are going to a few cities in Asia next year and should probably invest in a few safety purses/wallets

[ZiziPB]

I was pickpocketed years and years ago when at university - that was well before credit cards, so all I lost was my wallet with some cash in it.  Actually the empty wallet was found a couple of days later tossed in random bushes (identified because my monthly bus pass was left in it).  My daughter and I also had our camera lifted from us in the Dominican Republic.  It happens to the best of us :-)

Best advice is to be aware of your surroundings, avoid crowded areas and not carry too much cash/valuables on you.  Keep a copy of your passport along with credit card numbers somewhere else so that you can easily call and cancel stolen cards and get your passport replaced.

[cpa cat]

When I was a little girl, around 7 years old, I left my little girl purse in the shopping cart at the grocery store and went to get something for my mom. When I returned, the purse had been stolen. It had maybe $5 in it. It was a harsh lesson because I was fairly young. But I've never left my purse unattended since. Who steals from a little kid?


I witnessed a bad one. About 15 years ago, we were on the Greyhound and stopped at St Louis bus station. There was a snow storm, so we weren't going to be able to leave for several hours.

Man A approached Man B when Man B got off the bus and asked to borrow his phone so he could call his wife and tell her he was stranded. Man B obliged and waited for Man A to finish the call and give back the phone. When he got his phone back and went to get his luggage, Man B discovered it had been stolen. I'm not 100% sure how they knew it was his - they'd either marked him earlier or it just happened to be unattended while he was distracted and the driver was unloading. He was very distraught - he was moving or something, so supposedly everything he owned was gone. I think they must have marked him earlier, because otherwise how would they know he had stuff other than crappy clothes in his luggage.

He asked to share a cab with us, and we agreed because we felt bad for him. Then when we were in the cab, it occurred to us that it might be a scam to steal OUR stuff. But it wasn't. He really just wanted to share the cab.

[ketchup]

My sister (20) was pickpocketed earlier this year in Chile. Someone bumped into her, and minutes later she noticed her wallet from the opposite side was gone.  She said they were pros.  She lost a credit card and a debit card, both of which half an hour later (after calling my dad and then the bank) already had a bunch of fraudulent charges on them.  Luckily her phone and her passport were not taken.

With that in mind, when my GF went abroad last month (Australia) I urged her to keep her passport and driver's license separate, and credit cards stored with each.

[FireHiker]

I can see being caught off guard hearing a place is safe. I have been to London, Paris, Rome, always been really careful. In Rome, we actually witnessed gypsy pickpockets on the metro; the guards at the station pointed them out to us and told us to be careful with our bags. I can totally see being more relaxed myself in a place like Ireland. I'm sorry to hear you were targeted, but I appreciate the heads up here for future travel.

My neighbor's mom (originally from Texas, probably in her mid-60's) had a mugger attempt to steal her purse and watch in South America; I can't remember if it was Rio or Buenos Aires. She beat the crap out of him and he did not get her purse, while the (unhelpful) police and other people looked on; it is one of the best stories I've ever heard. You don't mess with Texas, ha ha.

[Zikoris]

No - we travel a lot, but are extremely vigilant. Nothing left unattended ever. No luggage except the backpacks that are strapped to us. We would definitely never leave electronics out on a restaurant table or stuff like that. We look up common local scams ahead of time. And I think we're both just pretty cynical and suspicious towards any people who come talk to us (we actually assume they're trying to sell us crap rather than rob us, but same end results).

People try from time to time in Europe, but they always guess the wrong pockets.

[Exprezchef]

Two attempts within 2 hours while in Rome many years ago. My wife and I had taken an overnight Eurorail train from Monaco to Rome and then while on the Rome Metro to the room we were renting for a few days was the first attempt. They got away with a map and a few loose Euros and US dollars. The second was a few hours later, again on the Metro, when we were heading to visit the Vatican for my wifes' birthday. This was done by a group of young Gypsies. A diversion was created on the crowded platform and suddenly I felt about four hands go into each of my pants pockets. They were gone into the crowd in a split second. A few other folks next to us were not so lucky and their wallets were snatched. My important stuff luckily was secured in a pouch under my shirt and nothing more than a map and a few loose coins grabbed. Sadly these events soured the rest of my visit to the beautiful city and I was constantly looking around and nervous about every visit to any crowded areas.       

[Lis]

I had a bit of trouble in Rome, but nothing ended up being stolen.

I actually don't carry a wallet with me when I travel. My phone case can hold three cards (so my drivers license and two credit cards), which I tucked in a small cross the shoulder purse I carried around with me literally everywhere. The only thing it could really fit was my passport, phone, and some money tucked in. We were in Dublin earlier in the year when it was chilly, so I kept it under my sweatshirt. My cash was split between my purse, my jean pockets (maybe 5 or 10 euro at a time in different pockets, wouldn't miss it if it were gone, but could access it quickly for small purchases), and hidden pockets in my suitcase.

[brooklynmoney]

My sister (20) was pickpocketed earlier this year in Chile. Someone bumped into her, and minutes later she noticed her wallet from the opposite side was gone.  She said they were pros.  She lost a credit card and a debit card, both of which half an hour later (after calling my dad and then the bank) already had a bunch of fraudulent charges on them.  Luckily her phone and her passport were not taken

Yup I lived in Chile for 6 months they got me once in the subway.

[expatartist]

It's good to be vigilant, but IMO not paranoid. Stuff happens. Maybe you'll be jetlagged, or run into the wrong person at the wrong time, or forget to carry your bag on the shop side rather than street side so it's lifted by a guy on a motorcycle. I've spent years traveling, have lived and worked in 8 countries and have only had a few incidents mentioned above. Well, and an incident of attempted kidnapping in Danang, but that's another story.

To be honest, I prefer to keep potential communications open when traveling rather than constantly looking over my shoulder. After returning home from Athens to Hong Kong, I instinctively brushed off a stranger in crowded, touristic Tsim Sha Tsui who came over to ask me a question. She was probably a domestic helper who didn't speak Mandarin or Cantonese. But I was still in suspicious mode. On reflection, I got out of it.

[Retire-Canada]

Petty criminals are opportunists. Make yourself a less attractive target than other people around you and they'll leave you alone.