Pick pockets

[vlnovak]

I can not warn you enough about the pick pockets, We have traveled a lot but in Barcelona be very careful of the bus or train system durning rush hours. Thses pick pockets are really good. Had money taken out of my front velcroyed pocket and my brother had his wallet lifted out of his front bottoned cargo pants. Do not let them spill something on you and offer to wipe it off. Do not bend over and look at cute babies. Carry all your money in a money belt or else your shoe or tight front pocket. I bet we ran into 40 people who this has happened to. By the way if you do loose your wallet be sure you have the numbers of all cards written down in your suite case with the phone number of the card, do not carry your passport, a copy will do. The police station by catalon square has a direct line to cancel all credit cards. It is a great city but please watch you pockets.

[mahdnc]

Sorry to hear about your experience, but I do appreciate the warning.......

[whogo]

Good advice. More than you want to know about money belts is here: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/moneybelt.htm

 

I do not keep of a list of my credit card numbers. The list could be used by a thief. I keep a list of the cards' emergency phone numbers, including the non-800 numbers for European problems.

[niecey_g]

Try to stay on the beaten paths if you can...some of those tiny narrow side streets in Barcelona are the perfect place for pick pockets, especially the closer you get to the port neighborhoods.

 

I had one, come up from behind me in a wheelchair and he tried to grab my purse, only he had a club hand, so it felt more like a hard punch to the back! We high-tailed it out of there in a hurry! :eek:

[Kenwoody]

I bought a money belt at AAA auto club. It is real soft and low cost. I cut the straps and just safety pinned it to my pants each day, it worked great. AAA also carries other travel items now. If a member there is a discount.

[JLC@SD]

Public transportation......buses, train, metros.......especially the crowded tourist traveled routes are particularly dangerous......the pickpockets are guaranteed to be aboard......looking for you.:)

[whogo]

Shoo away any gypsies that approach. You do not want them within reach of your wallet.

[Fblack]

I have been to Italy many times and pick pockets are all over. I take two safety pins and pin my front pants pocket shut.

[JLC@SD]

Shoo away any gypsies that approach. You do not want them within reach of your wallet.

unfortunately you can't recognize the Gypsies in Rome (and other places).......they dress and look like everyone else.

[taby027]

Hi All

thanks for the valuable info to prevent being pick pocketed. My question is why is it so common in Barcelona and Italy to have this happen, please don't get me wrong I am sure it occurs all over the planet it just seems to happen so much more there, just curious as to why???

 

So bearing this in mind if you touring around for the day in Barcelona, how much should you keep on you (i know how long is a piece of string) but in general, first time tourists in for the day what would you probably buy ie, transport, food etc.

 

thanks

[Andym]

It isn't more common, there are just thousands of tourists that to be honest just don't look after their stuff. We have personnally seen wallets hanging out of pockets and in one case in Barcelona last year I stopped a well dressed man taking a wallet from someones pocket. He didn't argue with me, he knew what was good for him.

[drdoug]

I have family who lived in Naples for 6 years and the first thing they told eveyrone was to lookout for pick pockets. The laws on crimes of violence are punitive, but for theft it is just a slap on the wrist. If you strike someone with a closed fist it is supposedly equivilant to attempted murder!

[whogo]

Hi All

My question is why is it so common in Barcelona and Italy to have this happen, please don't get me wrong I am sure it occurs all over the planet it just seems to happen so much more there, just curious as to why???

thanks

Gangs of pickpockets worked the coliseum for so long that I figured the police were getting a cut of the action. If a naive tourist like myself can see it going on, you know the police can.

[pcur]

Gypsies tend to make a loud ruckus while walking toward you, so you will concentrate on the "action" while someone else does the "work". So, if there is a disturbance, then that is usually what's happening. They also tend to create "traffic jam" situations with lots of pedestrians.

 

Just don't carry money or credit cards anywhere on the outside area of your clothing. I have used a neck wallet for about 10 years, tucked inside the front of my bra. Even if someone were to cut the cord around my neck somehow, they would have to literally reach inside my top to get the purse out. I wear loose clothing while sightseeing, so usually the neck purse is invisible.

 

DH carries nothing in his pockets, because he prefers knit shorts or jeans, both of which are easy to get into.

 

Money belts should be worn inside the pants, not under the shirt and outside the pants.

 

Just keep in mind that if it's easy for YOU to get to it, then it's easy for THEM, too!

[NorthernLite]

Hi All

thanks for the valuable info to prevent being pick pocketed. My question is why is it so common in Barcelona and Italy to have this happen, please don't get me wrong I am sure it occurs all over the planet it just seems to happen so much more there, just curious as to why???

 

So bearing this in mind if you touring around for the day in Barcelona, how much should you keep on you (i know how long is a piece of string) but in general, first time tourists in for the day what would you probably buy ie, transport, food etc.

 

thanks

 

The Romi (that is their nomadic name) are not citizens of a particular country and so have UN passports for displaced or nomadic peoples. They often "lose" these and get new ones. The rules of identification for nomadics are rather loose and so many gypsies (zingari in Italian) have many IDs and the police can do little if courts cannot find them or correctly identify the theif.

 

The UN has been trying through UNICEF for the last 20 years or so to try and stop the trafficking in children that are then used as juvenile theives or objects of pity like a naked baby next to her clothed mother outside churches in December. Yes, many of these kids are bought and sold as slave labor. Stealing, if they stay with their "new" family is about all they know when they grow up. UNICEF has started refuge schools and the like for kids who run away or are taken in for being reported as abused if there is evidence (and man is it hard to get evidence the courts will take).

 

We always travel with cash for the day and use a credit card for purchases (in case of damaged goods, warranty problems, etc.). Cash goes in the DH's front pocket and after years of living there you get the feel of when one of them is around. I carry the credit card and we keep a different card in the room safe. So if we are carrying VISA the MasterCard is in the safe. How much cash depends on what you plan on during that day and if you need both dollars and Euros or local currency. Taxis, buses, etc use cash and so do most small cafes and pizza places. Entrance fees to most museums you can find out in advance. Small open air tourist markets will take dollars or local currency so try and guesstimate what you plan to buy and remember gifts for those back home, etc. If you run short a credit card that also works as a cash card in ATMs also helps. And yes, keep the phone numbers to the card companies and bank in the safe and the ship's agent's local phone number with you in case they grab your sea pass.

 

In Romania people in plain clothes asked some people on our cruise for their "documents". They had badges with them. As soon as the wallet and purse came out they were gone like the wind. If they speak that much English ask to walk to the nearest station house or, even if it is not an international one, if you have a cell phone with you ask to call their superior. They'll leave you alone real quick. Someone with a real badge will carry a radio or cell and most, guns. There is very little violence aimed at tourists by Gypsies and guns in Europe are guarenteed jail time. Also a badge should have a matching picture.

 

And last, my Granny always clipped a small sack inside her girdle for her cash. Then she'd go to the ladies or a dressingroom if she needed cash. :-)

[Frecklesb]

Saw neck pouches cheap at Walmart. Anyone tried them yet?

Frecklesb

[Poohb]

Just got back from Trans-Atl starting in BCN. We went prepared and no one even got into our '2 foot safety zone'. DH had a 'wallet' from Walmart that was in the luggage dpt. It had a long 'string' for hanging around the neck. He kept it inside his buttoned shirt. I had a small purse with a short chain strap. We only carried what we were willing to lose. The rest stayed in the hotel safe. We wore 3/4 length (LondonFog style) coats and our small amount of Eu's were inside. We were not what we considered easy targets; thieves are looking for easy marks and we saw plenty. On the Ramblas there are lots of things to stop & watch..artists, dancers, etc. We always stood at a distance, not w/the crowd of onlookers. If you need to carry a large amt of $, put it in your shoes. BCN is absolutely fabulous. We didn't have a lot of time but used the HOHO bus; stayed on the whole time except switching tour from red to blue. It took 3 hours and we saw the city in a quick and fun way. We went to the open air top level and it was not crowded at all (Mid Nov, temps in 60's). We would consider going back to get a more in depth look. We really enjoyed ourselves. Plan ahead, take precautions. Enjoy your travels.

[Hlitner]

Pick Pockets/Purse Snatchers are simply part of the culture of Western Europe (only teasing...or am I?). In the USA somebody who wants your wallet will probably shoot you and than take your wallet when you can no longer resisit. In Europe, the gypsies have perfected their skills over centuries, and they work on every country in cities, in highway rest stops, airports, trains, etc. They do not want to do you any physical harm. they just want your money. So, what to do? If you are worried about Barcelona, than you are making a big mistake...because Barcelona is no better or worse than anywhere else. During more than 30 years of international travel we have foiled pick pocket attempts in Arles (France), Bologna (Italy), Istanbul (Turkey). I had a friend who had her wallet lifted out of her purse at the top of the Eiffel Tower (nobody saw a thing). So what to do? Just practice some basic common sense everywhere and never let your guard down. Take some basic precautions such as men should never carry their wallets in a back pocket, woman should wear their purses "cross shoulder," and you might also want to keep important stuff and credit cards in a neck pouch, money belt, etc. Two very simple precautions are for men to keep a couple of rubber bands around their wallet (makes it hard to slip it out of a pocket) and women might want to use a large diaper pin to pin the zippers of their purses (my wife's idea that works very well). Gypsies are very smart thieves, and they will usually target the easy mark,,,,so make yourself a tough mark and you will be fine.

 

Hank

[patti627]

Try to stay on the beaten paths if you can...some of those tiny narrow side streets in Barcelona are the perfect place for pick pockets, especially the closer you get to the port neighborhoods.

 

I had one, come up from behind me in a wheelchair and he tried to grab my purse, only he had a club hand, so it felt more like a hard punch to the back! We high-tailed it out of there in a hurry! :eek:

thanks, beth! when we go to the carib, do you do the money belt thing as well?

patti

[pcur]

I wear my neck purse EVERYWHERE we travel. DH takes nothing. Unless they attack me with a knife to cut it off my neck, we are fine. DH is a burly guy with an unfriendly look about him, so they usually stay away from us.

[JaneBP]

I use one of the travel wallets with the 'un-cuttable' cord and keep it hidden, around my neck. I own several of them and use one for each currency. Makes it easier, if one doesn't have to search through the Euros for Kroners.

 

I do keep the numbers of my credit cards but insert my area code somewhere in the middle of them. Then, if needed, I can just take out those 3 numbers. Of course, a copy of one's passport is obligatory imho.

 

For the men, even with sealed pockets, a thick rubber band around your wallet makes it very difficult to remove.

[patti627]

I use one of the travel wallets with the 'un-cuttable' cord and keep it hidden, around my neck. I own several of them and use one for each currency. Makes it easier, if one doesn't have to search through the Euros for Kroners.

 

I do keep the numbers of my credit cards but insert my area code somewhere in the middle of them. Then, if needed, I can just take out those 3 numbers. Of course, a copy of one's passport is obligatory imho.

 

For the men, even with sealed pockets, a thick rubber band around your wallet makes it very difficult to remove.

Jane, so does that mean that you don't take the actual credit card with you at port, just the numbers and they input them into their machine? or are you just keeping a copy (with area code inside) and the "call if stolen" number somewhere on ship, etc.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions, everyone!

Patti

[WebStir4]

I carried two credit cards in my shoe. I also carried a picture of my passport and left my passport locked in my safe in my hotel room. Purchase security wallets. I purchased them from e-bags.com. The pickpockets are very, very good and it only takes a second and then you have a loss.

 

Make sure that you have your credit card numbers and phone numbers in case your cards are stolen.

 

I met two women in American Express--one, who had her purse between her legs while eating in Barcelona and when she was finished, her purse was gone. The other woman was wearing a fanny pack in front of her in Rome. Alll of a sudden her fanny pack fell to the floor and was open. She had two credit cards stolen. In both cases, neither woman saw who took their belongings.

 

I wore my security wallet under my clothes with only euros in it. As I said before, my credit cards and a copy of my passport I put in my shoe.

 

Stay out of the subways in Barcelona because that is where most of the pickpockets work. At the airport in Barcelona this man kept eyeing my carryon and was heading toward my carryon with his arm out. I quickly moved my carry-on and then he asked for money. I told him to get lost. In almost every restaurant that we went to in Barcelona there are signs hanging about watching your personal belongings.