The pickpocket experiment

[Lambo62]

Perhaps this has been done before, perhaps not, but after reading many posts on pickpockets in Barcelona, Rome etc , I thought I would do a little experiment to see if I could get pickpocketed.

 

Firstly I must say i was paranoid after reading pick pocket posts on this board. I bought a neck wallet, and a waist money belt which served it's purpose well.

 

The experiment, I purchased a couple cheap wallets and printed what i thought would be a very forboding message. Instead of finding money inside a pick pocket would find a note reading "STOP, return this to the owner or you will have 7 years bad luck". I translated it to Spanish and Italian

 

 

Before i got off our flight, i put all our money and passports into my moneybelt and put my fake wallet in my back pocket. We checked into our hotel in Barcelona (one night pre and post cruise) and away we went on La Ramblas, fake wallet in tow. We walked, and walked. No pickpocket. We went on our cruise, explored Naples, Rome, Pisa, Florenece and then back to Barcelona. Fake wallet in tow, no pickpocets, no one even tried. At one point i even pulled it up a bit so it stuck out of my pocket.

 

What I learned? well, there is no need to be parnoid about pickpockets in any country. There aren't hords of holigans standing around waiting to rob you. Travel safe, just like you would in any big city be it next door or across the globe. Be smart, don't flaunt your money, use a neck wallet to keep your money safe, and relax and enjoy yourself.

[Travelcat2]

I suggest you read the other thread regarding this issue. This is a real problem -- not to be taken lightly (as you will read on the other thread). Not everyone is a victim -- you may have been so much on the alert -- waiting for something to happen that you were ignored. They want to target people who are distracted by the many things going on around them.

[cruisemom42]

Congratulations. You just completed what scientists refer to as an "N of 1" experiment. Otherwise known as "Nothing bad happened to me, so it couldn't possibly happen to someone else."

 

If I add my experience, to make it "N of 2" -- I was pickpocketed in Barcelona despite modest precautions. So, I guess now the risk of getting pickpocketed there is 50-50, eh?

 

P.S. My parents have smoked cigarettes for over 50 years (each) with no adverse health issues. Clearly, cigarettes are NOT bad for you and we should all take up smoking. :rolleyes:

[chipmaster]

I agree there aren't hordes, I wouldn't go so far as to say you should relax, you should be a aware tourist and be always cautious of your surroundings and surrounding people. Does that mean you can't walk around town, use the subway, bus, train.. no. Just be cautious.

 

There are some places where more people seem to have issues, probably real, any reason not to visit, no, just be careful, of course if you are elderly and absent minded.. you are a more likely target, than a younger guy with a fake wallet hanging out of his pants, so prepare accordingly :D

 

Perhaps this has been done before, perhaps not, but after reading many posts on pickpockets in Barcelona, Rome etc , I thought I would do a little experiment to see if I could get pickpocketed.

 

Firstly I must say i was paranoid after reading pick pocket posts on this board. I bought a neck wallet, and a waist money belt which served it's purpose well.

 

The experiment, I purchased a couple cheap wallets and printed what i thought would be a very forboding message. Instead of finding money inside a pick pocket would find a note reading "STOP, return this to the owner or you will have 7 years bad luck". I translated it to Spanish and Italian

 

 

Before i got off our flight, i put all our money and passports into my moneybelt and put my fake wallet in my back pocket. We checked into our hotel in Barcelona (one night pre and post cruise) and away we went on La Ramblas, fake wallet in tow. We walked, and walked. No pickpocket. We went on our cruise, explored Naples, Rome, Pisa, Florenece and then back to Barcelona. Fake wallet in tow, no pickpocets, no one even tried. At one point i even pulled it up a bit so it stuck out of my pocket.

 

What I learned? well, there is no need to be parnoid about pickpockets in any country. There aren't hords of holigans standing around waiting to rob you. Travel safe, just like you would in any big city be it next door or across the globe. Be smart, don't flaunt your money, use a neck wallet to keep your money safe, and relax and enjoy yourself.

[dolittle]

This is a very funny post belive it or not I have thought of the same thing ,only my message would have been #*#*^#* and your mama. I saw a show on Nat-Geo where a pro pick pocket(theres something to be proud of)went to Naples and was right across from the pier he and his wife were trying to get picked.He had a tiny camera in the bag and a tracking device in the wallet. He at first had no bites but then on the bus they surronded him and picked it and handed it off to another low-life who quickley just stole the money and droped the wallet , so they wont be caught red handed . They are smart but if you think about it if a lot of people did the dummy wallet thing it would mess these guys up and you could have a lot of fun turning the tables on these low-lifes . Not to mention the fun you could have cursing them out in many tounges . and there mamas.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I have traveled extensively. I have only been pickpocketed once and it was in Barcelona. So the odds are you AREN'T going to be pickpocketed period.

[scottbee]

This is a very funny post belive it or not I have thought of the same thing ,only my message would have been #*#*^#* and your mama. I saw a show on Nat-Geo where a pro pick pocket(theres something to be proud of)went to Naples and was right across from the pier he and his wife were trying to get picked.He had a tiny camera in the bag and a tracking device in the wallet. He at first had no bites but then on the bus they surronded him and picked it and handed it off to another low-life who quickley just stole the money and droped the wallet , so they wont be caught red handed . They are smart but if you think about it if a lot of people did the dummy wallet thing it would mess these guys up and you could have a lot of fun turning the tables on these low-lifes . Not to mention the fun you could have cursing them out in many tounges . and there mamas.

 

Likely BOB ARNO, a fascinating fellow, and a guest speak on a Celebrity cruise we took a number of years back.

[Keith1010]

Consider yourself lucky.

 

Yes, there are more pickpocketers in certain cities and areas around the world than others.

 

No one ever said here that you have a 100% of being robbed but in some of these places your odds increase.

 

If you drive through a red light that doesn't mean you will be in an accident or get a ticket 100% of the time but it does increase your odds of one of these things happening.

 

Same with pickpockets.

 

Keith

[HImom]

Over the past 30 years I have been traveling, I have had my pocket picked once (on a Tube in London 15 years ago) as well as my backpack slashed WHILE I WAS WEARING IT in broad daylight (busy street in Hong Kong 30 years ago). These were times I was being as cautious as possible and aware of the possibility of crime. Fortunately, my valuables were in a waist pouch under my clothing and nothing of value was taken but it was rather shocking to me, when I realized hours later than I had been victimized.

 

I was very relieved I hadn't been cut by whatever was used to slice open my backpack & nick the purse within. Thieves are very clever and I prefer not to be a target for them.

 

When H was walking around in Rome with his wallet in his slacks pocket 15 years ago, he was incessently targeted until I convinced him to keep his valuables in a pouch under his clothing & not carry a wallet. That ended the problem & he never did have anything taken from him.

 

We prefer not to be attractive targets and enjoy our vacation, even if it means wearing a waist pouch with our valuables.

[Kerry's Girls]

I followed all the good advice I found here about keeping valuables safe during my two trips to Barcelona and had no problem with theft. I did wear a backpack on the subway - a big no-no, but it only had our food, etc. for a picnic. I was really aware of my surroundings, tried to stay with my back against the wall, etc and I was sure it hadn't been touched, but sure enough, when we emerged from the subway, someone had managed to open both zippers of the backpack. Nothing was taken because there was nothing of interest, but it showed me that those pickpockets are magicians and I wouldn't take any chances.

 

Best,

Mia

[micruz]

Just returned from Celebrity Solstice 12 night Mediterranean. I would recommend purchasing a money belt to keep your money hidden under your clothing in these ports as well as Spain. The Solstice sold Samsonite money belts in their gift shop for about $11. We found ours at REI and also a wonderful slim Swiss Army backpack for across our front at Target. Many people wore their full backpacks in front to protect them. Pick-pocketing is really rampant - met several people who were victimized on this trip. The thieves close in on you in crowds and find a way into even your fanny pack. In Spain, the servers at many restaurants kept warning people to keep your their belongings close - in your lap, under the table between your legs, etc. Warnings signs were everywhere. I saw a ticket taker leave his post near Las Ramblas to warn an elderly lady carrying her purse loosely out to the side. Do not have your purse hanging loosely off your shoulder. A lady on our cruise was looking for a way to cut off her suitcase locks as her purse containing the keys, passport and money was grabbed away. BE CAREFUL!

[Lambo62]

Well, it looks like we all agree. Be safe. Money belts or neck wallets are a good idea. Be aware of your surroundings, and keep safe.

Travelling is fun. Lets be safe and have fun.

Lambo

[Travelcat2]

For the few non-believers, suggest you read this thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1634671&page=4

[Travelcat2]

I looked up the top 10 places in the world where you are most likely to be picketpocketed:

 

1. Barcelona, Spain

2. Rome, Italy

3. Prague, Czech Republic

4. Madrid, Spain

5. Paris, France

6. Florence, Italy

7. Buenos Aires, Argentina

8. Amsterdam, Holland

9. Athens, Greece

10. Hanoi, Vietnam

 

 

 

Specific to Barcelona:

 

1. Spain, Barcelona

 

Barcelona is the number 1 tourist attraction in Spain! In addition to a number of sights it also has a dozen or so pickpockets for every attraction. If pickpocketing would be on the Olympics, Barcelona would be the definite gold medalist!

 

When you disregard pickpocketing, Barcelona is a relatively safe place to be. Spanish people are not very fond of drinking, they much more prefer smoking pot – and that makes people sleepy and friendly.

 

When walking on the famous pedestrian street La Rambla be sure to wear your backpacks in your front. Pickpockets work in teams – 1 person distracts you and another one opens your bag or goes through your pockets. They don’t hesitate to use scissors or a razor to cut their way in!

 

Technique used to steal your money in Barcelona:

A friendly local notices that your clothes are dirty and offers to provide you with a napkin so that you can clean yourself.

What really happens is that the local himself or his partner in crime has secretly spilled something on you to get your attention. After accepting the napkin and starting to clean yourself your mind is occupied and it becomes easy to go through your bag or your pockets.

 

 

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/119026-top-10-countries-have-your-wallet-stolen-pickpockets.html#ixzz1ysOCKeLW

[tercar]

I have traveled extensively. I have only been pickpocketed once and it was in Barcelona. So the odds are you AREN'T going to be pickpocketed period.

my cousins husband, who is spanish and works in barcelona, is paranoid about watching you bags etc, he works on the tourist buses and even warns the tourist to be very careful, he says he sees theft on a daily basis, so yes be very careful please.

[Pushka]

I don't really care what the odds are. I had a bum bag slashed off me in Vietnam, so I do know that it happens. And that to me is the only statistic that counts. ;)

[kickballpro]

I can tell you that we felt completely safe in Barcelona walking La Rambla. I was trying to see if I can spot trouble but never did. Our Balcony overlooked La Rambla and I watched late at night (Jet Lag) and never saw any suspicious activity other than people from the Senegal selling fake purses.

 

My 4 year old was walking down La Rambla playing Angry Birds on the IPAD. Police always on patrol, always felt safe.

 

HOWEVER......We go on a tour. My father in law takes out money from an ATM. The tour guide takes us to dinner. We leave the place and my father in law starts counting money. The guide is like, "Put that away! Your front pants pocket and get in the van. Don't do that again!"

[mskaufman]

We were there on both ends of our cruise this past week. We made it home with all our stuff. I used a Pacsafe pouch for my camera bag and a Pacsafe wallet that hooked to a belt loop. When I was on line to buy my Bus Turistic ticket a man got on line in back of me who did not look like a tourist (no camera and no one else with him). After awhile he got off the line I didn't detect anything missing. At the Cathedral (Gothic Quarter) a woman got close to me and my DW moved next to me to block access to my pocket. The woman said to her (in Spanish) "I am not going to rob you." Otherwise we were incident free. Hopefully everyone else will also have an incident free trip.

[Pushka]

The pickpockets are so clever that an average person will 'never' spot trouble. They do it before you realise and you most likely won't know it's happened until you go looking for a particular item. So you won't see it happening to others.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lovevacadays]

I have a co-worker who was born and raised in London. He traveled extensively through Europe. Interestingly, when I mentioned I spoke to him of my travel plans, he said that the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona was one of the worst areas, ever for pickpockets.

 

Congratulations. You just completed what scientists refer to as an "N of 1" experiment. Otherwise known as "Nothing bad happened to me, so it couldn't possibly happen to someone else."

 

If I add my experience, to make it "N of 2" -- I was pickpocketed in Barcelona despite modest precautions. So, I guess now the risk of getting pickpocketed there is 50-50, eh?

 

P.S. My parents have smoked cigarettes for over 50 years (each) with no adverse health issues. Clearly, cigarettes are NOT bad for you and we should all take up smoking. :rolleyes:

 

Well said

 

Consider yourself lucky.

 

Yes, there are more pickpocketers in certain cities and areas around the world than others.

 

No one ever said here that you have a 100% of being robbed but in some of these places your odds increase.

 

If you drive through a red light that doesn't mean you will be in an accident or get a ticket 100% of the time but it does increase your odds of one of these things happening.

 

Same with pickpockets.

 

Keith

 

Well said. I think people should be aware of the issue and plan accordingly without it spoiling their trip.

[MszKitty]

The OP was just one of the lucky ones. I know of two stories, personally, where it did happen. Technically, not wallets but still.....

 

 

We stayed one night pre-cruise in Barcelona prior to our recent Carnival Breeze cruise. My SIL & BIL decided to go have coffee in the morning before heading to the ship. They were sitting at an outdoor cafe...SIL sitting in one chair, BIL sitting in the chair next to her, and the camera case (which also included money and his passport) was sitting on the chair next to BIL. A man came over and stood between the two of them trying to give them coupons, or tickets, or something. My BIL noticed that the man looked up like he was watching for someone. That's when my BIL realized something wasn't right about the man. The man only distracted them for maybe 15 seconds. He looked, and sure enough, the camera case was gone! The man started running away and my BIL chased after him but eventually he lost him. He realized that he wasn't the one with the camera bag anyway. As it turned out, there was a local man watching everything happen and the local man went after the guy that stole the bag. Maybe 3 minutes later, the local man came back with the camera case. He had caught up with the thief and got the bag away from him. My SIL & BIL was so, SO grateful. Several times they offered to give the Good Samaritan a reward, but he just would not take it. He just warned them to never set your bag down like that. It could have been a very bad start to a wonderful vacation. They were really lucky the local man got it back for them.

 

 

Another story....close friends of ours were in Barcelona on a land vacation last year. While eating in an outdoor cafe, they struck up a conversation with another couple and being the police officer that he is, our friend warned the couple about leaving their camera sitting near the edge of the table as they were sitting near the street and anyone could walk by and steal it. The guy kind of shrugged it off saying the camera was fine. Well, wouldn't you know, they weren't paying close attention to the camera and about 15 minutes later, the camera was gone.

[Deemuch]

Perhaps this has been done before, perhaps not, but after reading many posts on pickpockets in Barcelona, Rome etc , I thought I would do a little experiment to see if I could get pickpocketed.

 

Firstly I must say i was paranoid after reading pick pocket posts on this board. I bought a neck wallet, and a waist money belt which served it's purpose well.

 

The experiment, I purchased a couple cheap wallets and printed what i thought would be a very forboding message. Instead of finding money inside a pick pocket would find a note reading "STOP, return this to the owner or you will have 7 years bad luck". I translated it to Spanish and Italian

 

 

Before i got off our flight, i put all our money and passports into my moneybelt and put my fake wallet in my back pocket. We checked into our hotel in Barcelona (one night pre and post cruise) and away we went on La Ramblas, fake wallet in tow. We walked, and walked. No pickpocket. We went on our cruise, explored Naples, Rome, Pisa, Florenece and then back to Barcelona. Fake wallet in tow, no pickpocets, no one even tried. At one point i even pulled it up a bit so it stuck out of my pocket.

 

What I learned? well, there is no need to be parnoid about pickpockets in any country. There aren't hords of holigans standing around waiting to rob you. Travel safe, just like you would in any big city be it next door or across the globe. Be smart, don't flaunt your money, use a neck wallet to keep your money safe, and relax and enjoy yourself.

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your experiment. I travel often and after booking my cruise with stops in Barcelona, Rome among many others....I was concerned with all the PICKPOCKETING warnings. I travel quite a bit, and have NEVER had any problems, but then again I think you should always be "cautious" of your surroundings, people around you & dont give the impression you are a tourist or that you have alot of valuables or money. The more you stick out, the more you make yourself a potential "target".

 

However, even with all this, I was still WORRIED that it would not be possible to relax, enjoy and walk around safely without being attacked, approached or violated by a pickpocketer on many of the stops for my trip. It seems everything I was reading, kept warning of the pickpocketing & theft, to the point I was wondering if I could even safely carry my camera around without fear of it being "snatched" away. I have a nice camera & want to be able to take pics without having to look over my shoulder or hanging onto it for dear life.! Last thing I wanted to do is be over-paranoid too...

 

So, I take some comfort in your story, and I think if I travel the way I always do, with a cautious air, that I can go now with a more relaxed mind

Thanks:)

[borgerboy@aol.com]

as a regular traveller i can say i'm pretty careful and have luckily not been pick pocketed much. but it did happen last year. i went to a club in sitges (south of barcelona) and had a beer. i was standing near the dance floor and will admit the place was pretty dark and crowded. my wallet was on a chain in my front right pocket. when i went to get my second beer, i found my wallet unattached from the chain, in my left pocket. it was, of course empty, but luckily they only got about 80 euro's (the amount i had taken out to spend that night). that thief was pretty crafty and probably had a good sense of humor to leave the empty wallet in my other pocket. i got a pretty good laugh out of it too with my friends the next day. this year i am going with the money belt.

[mskaufman]

Do you know how they unattached the wallet from the chain?

[CHUANJO]

Nowadays, La Rambla is the safest place in Barcelona because is full of police. Be aware in other places