Gypsy-robbed

I know most of us have been schooled in keeping our good stuff, ie valuables, out of sight and know how to not look like an obvious tourist.....BUT, I thought I'd share two stories of two friends who were robbed last year in broad daylight in Brussels.  And to leave you with a smile, I'll tell you what a former coworker did in Rome to thwart thieves there, one of the most high-powered theft areas in Europe!

I had a friend who traveled around Brussels by car.  You feel pretty safe in a car, don't you?  I know I did til I talked to her.  She was in the passenger seat of an average-looking European vehicle, digging through her purse, looking for some gum.  Before she even knew what was happening at that red light, some thief had ripped open her door and took off with her purse.  It was so shocking and brazen, that by the time her husband pulled over and gave chase, the thief was long gone.  She lost all her ID and of course all their money, as she was carrying ALL of it (Tip #1 & 2:  Split up your money and keep cars doors locked from the moment you get into your car).

The other theft happened over the holidays.  The victim boarded a city bus with her two young daughters, only to be separated from her girls as they got on first.  Two ladies were physically blocking her way, and she was so focused about being separated from her children and trying to get to the back of the bus to them, she ignored the jostling at the door.  As the bus driver prodded them all on (they were blocking the aisle), the two ladies suddenly jumped off the bus right before it left the stop.  As the victim made it to the back of the bus, she noticed that her wallet was missing from her purse.  Her purse had snaps and not a zipper.  She chose this purse earlier in the day, because it looked cute with her boots.  It was not so cute after she lost her wallet (Tip #3:  Never use a purse that doesn't zip smartly shut;  keep your purse close to your body with the zipper facing the front).

Even though the police were called in both instances, no stolen items were recovered.  The police were very kind up there in Brussels and helped as best they could, so that was nice to hear.  The police actually told my one friend that the ladies on the bus were probably gypsies, who are experts in this type of scam....but don't get lured into thinking that only people who look like thieves are the ones doing the robbing.  I saw a stylishly dressed man in a business suit try to reach into another man's pocket once on a bus but quickly pretended he was scratching his crotch when I made eye contact with him.  Many of these thieves also work in two and three person teams, so the chips area already stacked against you to begin with!

The last story involves a co-worker who went to Rome.  Now Rome I think is known as the pickpocket capital of the world!  You could probably write a book on the methods crooks use there to separate you from your valuables!  Well, my friend thought he would be funny (I don't recommend this) and purchased 10, yes 10 wallets at the dollar store.  He loaded them all up with paper to make them look like they contained the motherload.  He placed them at various points in his jacket, pants, shirt...wherever there was a pocket or crevice, there was a wallet....he even had one in his sock!  He spent a few hours riding public transportation and moving through crowds.  At the end of the day, he ONLY HAD TWO WALLETS LEFT!  That's right.....if you can do basic math like I think I can, that means eight were stolen!  He tried to think back and remember when it could've happened, and he could only seriously think of two instances where he actually "felt something".....all he could say was, boy, were they good.  He wanted to try it again with the two remaining wallets, with his teenage son providing overwatch, so they could "catch someone in the act".  Of course his wife put a stop to that game, and that was the end of that experiment.  Of course, around the same time, acquaintances of ours were driving in Rome and left an Ipod on the backseat of their vehicle (blame it on the teenager in the family)....they woke up to a broken-in car window and no Ipod or anything else of value left in the car  (Tips #4 & 5:  Don't try to go head-to-head with professional crooks, as things can go wrong AND don't leave valuables visibly out, or better yet, secure them in a safer location).

Do you have any anti-pickpocket tips to share?