Hey ramdon fans. This is actually a more serious blog entry for you guys. Over the past year, I have had friends and colleagues who have been pickpocketed in different places across the americas, in eeriely similar circumstances....
SCENARIO #1: Denver, Colorado
My colleague was enjoying a quick lunch at a local baja fresh. Her purse was placed "securely" on the back of of her chair.When she got up to ready to leave the resturant her purse felt significantly lighter. She looked inside to find her wallet missing!
moment of opportunity: In retrospect she remembers feeling a slight bump and her purse moving ever so slightly while she was eating.
SCENARIO #2: Washington, DC
A good friend of mine stopped at Quiznos in the middle of her day to have lunch. Her purse was positioned "securely" on the side of her chair. Some men came in and tried to strike a up a conversation with her and thereafter seated themselves uncomfortable closely to her at the very next table. Later, she looked in her wallet realize that ALL of her credit cards and bank cards had been stolen.
moment of opportunity: She felt her bag move ever so slightly while she had lunch. She got up for a brief moment to refill her drink.
SCENARIO #3: Ontario, Canada
A colleague of mine was working on her laptop at a local starbucks coffee shop just the other day. At one point she realized that her purse that was "securely" hanging from the back of her chair, underneath her coat was in fact missing. When she noticed her purse was missing she immediately asked questions to the people around her, notified the manager and searched both the men's and women's restrooms to see if her purse was dumped in either one. Minutes later she stepped outside to use her cellphone to notify the authorities and deactivate her credit and bank cards. When she walked back in, the manager in charge informed her that her purse had been found in the ladies room. **boggle** yes, as I said, she had only moments before checked the ladies room. Clearly the thief was still in her midst the very moment she realized her purse was missing . Moreover, that theif was able to fly under the radar of suspicion the entire time she was in the shop searching for her missing bag.
moment of opportunity: she got up momentarily to say hi to a friend who walked into the coffee shop.
Here's what I have assessed. From each of these scenarios there are a few commonalities about the way these pickpockets operate:
1. they are watching you closely and KNOW where your wallet is located.
2. they are professional opportunists and extremely patient, waiting for the few brief seconds that your guard may be down
3. they need only seconds to rip you off - they move quickly when in the act of stealing..
4. they frequent the quick stop places where your guard might be at its lowest, e.g. the comfort of a coffee shop.
With that in mind here are my random tips to help ward off the potential of being the prey of a pickpocket.
1. Take the extra few seconds to put your wallet away safely and securely. Ladies, for you that means, zipping, buckling or snapping your purse completely shut!
2. Keep your purse/wallet keenly on your person and in your line of sight at ALL times.
3. Be aware of your surroundings, I'm not suggesting that you be paraniod, but the people who are pickpockets are experts at blending into their environments.
4. Have a ready and accessible list of the #'s that can call to immediately turn off your credit and bank cards.
No, I am not an expert in criminology, but I watch A LOT of Law & Order so that must count for something. But, here is some more official documentation for your reference...
http://www.abroadviewmagazine.com/archives/fall_01/pickpocket.html
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