Yes, i know Japan is an exception. I wouldn’t give my camera to a stranger who approached me in the US, or anywhere in Europe.
By the way, i do the “keep money in more than one place” thing whenever i would be greatly inconvenienced by being stranded with no money. So, not around my home town, where i have friends and family who could help me in a pinch, but yes if i am traveling, domestic or foreign. I have traveled a lot in Europe, and have never run into a problem. I do avoid packs of children in cities. And i think Italy is more dangerous than most of the other countries i have been in, especially in large cities. But i don’t think you should walk the streets of Milan or Berlin in dread or anything.
And while there may be more pickpocketing in Europe then in the US, there is generally a lot less violent crime. You are much less likely to be mugged in Rome than in New York.
So take reasonable precautions, but enjoy your trip
Back in the early 80s I went to Hong Kong which was notorious for pickpockets.
I bought a really cheap decoy wallet and kept it in my back pocket and some cash and a credit cards (separately) in my front pockets. I had one guy start towards me, and I made eye contact with him and put my hand on my wallet. He immediately did a u-turn and walk away.
I did lose the decoy wallet on the Star ferry when we got off. A bunch of kids rushes off, bumping me and one of them must have grabbed it.
Oh, and I had a guy try to pull a scam on me in Singapore in the late 80s. I arrived lastish at night with a small backpack and went off to find a cheap hotel. He claimed to be living in the States but was staying in Singapore while his Indonesian wife was back visiting her family.
He recommended the hotel he was staying at, which was fairly inexpensive so I checked in as well
I was spending the summer in Japan with a week’s trip to Malaysia and Singapore. My mother was going to meet me in Japan and then go back home via Hawaii.
He said he actually lived in Hawaii and we could stay with him.
He took me around Singapore for a couple of days, then the day before I was headed back he claimed that his wife had been supposed to wire him some money but it had a delay and could he borrow some from me. When I pointed out that if it didn’t come the next day, I’d be SOL he sails that he could always pay me back in Hawaii.
I had been growing increasingly wary of his stories and suddenly I saw what his purpose had been.
We arrived in Rome (about a decade ago) and took the train from the airport to the main terminal in the city and caught a taxi; this was early afternoon. We took a taxi to our hotel, and I was surprised when he stopped on the correct cross-street but two blocks away, saying it’s too narrow (or that’s what his gestures looked like). He said the price was 14.45 euros, though the guidebook said the fare should be about 5-7 euros for this distance. He points to the meter, so I end up paying it. A hour later I realize he didn’t even turn on the meter; he was pointing to the clock (14:45 being 2:45 PM). I think he wanted us away from the hotel if we made a fuss. The whole thing made me laugh.
I was traveling with my 18-year old daughter. On the subway in Rome on a crowded Sunday night (it was Easter Sunday), a local man grabbed the wrist of a young girl who was reaching into my daughter’s bag/purse, pulled it out and yelled at her “No!” and the girl quickly left the car. We did thank him, in Italian. We had no other problems, and have never been pick pocketed (I carry a wallet in my front pocket when traveling, even at O’Hare airport). I may have been lucky.
I nearly had my backpack “picked” when I was in Rome. I was with a friend and a couple approached us and the young man started making small talk about stuff in a shop window. I was immediately suspicious as the girl was hanging back kind of behind me. As soon as I felt a light tug on the small zipper pocket of my backpack, I backed up as fast as I could, effectively slamming the girl into the wall behind us. They both took off. I only had maps and a couple Euro for the metro in that pocket so she wouldn’t have gotten much if she had succeeded.
I may have asked this before, but why is pickpocketing/scamming tourists such a prevalent crime in Europe and not in the big touristy places in the US? It can’t all by gypsies, can it?
And most of Europe is a lot more socially liberal than the US. If these people were poor and need money, why aren’t they using their social programs and public assistance?
What looks out of place is gawking in shorts at some landmark, a camera in one hand and a map in the other instead of rushing past said landmark wearing casual bussiness attire.
Good idea, but remember to sort things out in advance if you’ve got two-factor security set up. When I log into gmail on a new computer I have to wait until they text me a code before it’ll let me in.
Gmail does let you set up extra codes in advance, but then of course you have to have that list with you, so make sure it isn’t in the same place as your other documents. Plus, remember that using an unknown computer to access your email is risky - if you’re going this route, consider setting up a throwaway account for the trip.
I’ve never been pickpocketed (never been to Europe either) but my mother-in-law was - once in Italy, and once in New York on her daily commute. A friend of mine was pickpocketed at Disney World. I think it can be an issue anywhere where there are crowds and/or lots of tourists.
Personally I always wear purse crossbody and it has to be one that fastens securely; nothing will stop a truly determined thief but if you make it inconvenient enough they’ll usually look elsewhere.
Oh yeah: a co-worker had his iPhone stolen out of his hands while walking down the street on a trip to Paris a year or so back. He got it bricked within minutes but it was still a pretty big deal, as he had his corporate email set up and there was a chance it had client data on it (it did not, but I was called in on a conference call to check on the kind of data I might have sent to his email at some point).
My husband’s iPhone was stolen right out of his hands on the Metro (Washington DC) last year, as well.
This happened to me in downtown Atlanta outside a liquor store. Some guy offered me a flower and I’m too polite to refuse. As soon as my husband came out of the store the guy was all like “I just gave your wife a flower, you should give me some money!” But then the elderly, half-blind shopkeeper came outside and chased him away with the threat of a “whuppin’.”
My friend had her wallet stolen literally out from under her ass as soon as she landed in Thailand one time. She was struggling with her camera, wallet, passport etc. and she sat down on a bench to get organized and sat on her wallet to free her hands. When she stood up her wallet was gone.
He & his wife track pickpockets and scammers all over the world. Not only does it have great advice for travelers pertaining to almost every part of the world, but it’s really interesting stuff!
I’ve visited Paris, London, Rome, Florence and Venice and never got pickpocketed although I made a only carrying what I needed (little cash, credit card, ID) and keeping it in an inside coat pocket. No scams either, although I saw one of the umpteen bajillion sidewalk merchants in Florence try and browbeat some woman into buying a poster he had spread across the sidewalk and claimed she stepped on. I assume that was the plan, judging from the people, the way they’d make it impossible to use half the sidewalk and the way they’d gather up their stuff and vamoose when a cop came by.
I guess this goes beyond “scam” but the last time my sister-in-law was in Peru, her and two local family members took a cab at night. The cab slowed at a particular spot and someone ran out to open the door and try to pull her out of the car to kidnap. Fortunately, the family members grabbed her and started yelling at the driver to go, which he did. It was an obvious set-up but the driver would want to maintain deniability that he wasn’t in on the attempt.
I’ve been to Europe a dozen times and have never been pick pocketed or felt like anyone has tried. Then again, I’m big enough where anyone who had thoughts, might look for easier prey. However, my mother and her sister got ripped off on a crowded bus in Rome. Ironically, going to the Vatican.