Pickpockets are a massive nuisance in Europe, and they tend to be most active during the peak Tourist season at popular destinations.
Even the most experienced traveler can fall victim. It can happen to anybody! Therefore, I have put together this guide on how to avoid pickpockets in Europe.
The primary purpose of this guide is to help you understand what to expect. I explain how they operate and whom they target.
With the right precautions you can considerably minimize risks.
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Don't look like a Tourist
Pickpockets target tourists because they know they are foreigners and easy prey. Visitors don't know the area and get overwhelmed with the surrounding.
Tourists also tend to travel with more cash, and it's relatively easy to spot a Tourist.
Pickpockets select their victims according to how the Tourists behave and move. That means they will go after someone who looks uncertain, who moves around without direction, and who seems to need help as they are staring at their Google Maps.
They also pick victims by their looks, that means attire and choice of accessories, and by their nationality and background.
For example, pickpockets like to trick Americans into donating to fake petitions. Members of the pickpocketing group encircle the victim on the street. They will force you to donate and they will steal your wallet.
People with an Arab background are often tricked to play a cup and ball bet and one of the onlookers takes the money from their back pocket.
We get scammed and robbed while we try to purchase a metro ticket. It may appear as if the nice man is just trying to help us, and we don't realize that he has a whole team in the vicinity waiting to strike.
For our American Friends: How to blend in as an American Tourist in Europe
Be Extra Alert in some Places
Pickpockets frequent crowded tourist spots, markets and fairs, parades, bottleneck areas, or venues where they can escape easily.
This can be at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Milan Cathedral Square or at the Colosseum in Rome.
These are all popular landmarks that are super busy throughout the day and people tend to take a picture there and place their things on the floor for an impromptu photo shoot. This and other games and trickeries in the crowd can make you an easy target.
Narrow passageways between popular landmarks are known to attract pickpockets and, of course, subway trains and stations.
When you jump onto a subway train, be extra careful about the people next to you. The pickpockets will surround you, target your wallet, devices, and jewelry, and they'll jump out of the wagon just before the doors close and the train departs. It's almost impossible to get hold of them when they do that.
If you see a pickpocket going for your valuables, shout “pickpocket, pickpocket” to scare them away.
Hide Your Valuables
I understand that you have come to enjoy your surroundings, but if you flaunt your valuables where these criminal groups operate, you will only attract them.
Avoid wearing expensive accessories such as gold earrings and Hermes bags when you frequent a pickpocket prone place.
Don't flash your money. Don't keep your wallet in your back pocket.
They are trained at an early age to differentiate between poorer, middle and richer class, and they spend hours observing potential victims. This is something you should be aware of.
Cute small backpacks can be easily snatched, and they will run away with it while you are scrambling to comprehend what just happened.
I recommend that you get a hidden money fanny pack for your cash and cards. Get a bag or wallet with an RFID block so that they can't skim your credit or debit card details while walking past you. I have been using the Ridge wallet for this purpose for over 10 years and I love it!
Learn about Current Tricks in Advance
We talked most recently about common Tourist Scams in Europe. Here I'll do a deep dive on pickpocketing tricks so that you know how these gangs operate across Europe.
Note, pickpockets rarely work alone, this is a group of people that is actively pursuing this ugly profession.
- The age-old Bump and Grab or the accidental spill. They will apologize, help you, and someone else will snatch your stuff. The more aggressive version of that is when they grab your bag, run away, slash your bag, take what they want and drop the empty bag.
- Distraction with a street game or street performer.
- Fake petitions that make you believe that you are at fault that the world is going down, while they steal your valuables.
- The helpful “local” who's ever so present to point you in the right direction.
Be aware that the pickpocketing team will hang around and follow you if they didn't get hold of what they aimed for. For example, if you dismiss the helpful person in the subway, they will follow you onto the platform and into the train.
FAQs
What do pickpockets look like?
Pickpockets look like me and you. They can look like Tourists, they can be a group of teenage boys and girls, they can be a family with a toddler in a stroller, they can appear like a businesswoman taking calls.
What can you do if you are a victim of a pickpocket incident?
Immediately, report your cards as stolen and block them. Report your device as stolen (e.g., iPhone, put it in Lost Mode via iCloud.com/find or the Find My app) and speak to your phone provider to let them know about the theft. Contact the local law enforcement to register a case, you can call 112, which is the Euro emergency line and they will help you. Inform your travel insurance about the theft and prepare documentation about the crime to support your claim.
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