HOW TO OUTSMART PICKPOCKETS IN EUROPE | Common Pickpocketing Scams, Tips, Mistakes & More!

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Wondering how to NOT get robbed in Europe? Keen to avoid European pickpockets? This video is filled with helpful tips on how to outsmart and avoid getting pickpocketed while travelling Europe, with common pickpocketing scams, pickpocketing strategies and other must-knows for those hoping to avoid getting scammed in Europe.

00:00 Introduction
00:23 Tip #1: Know where the danger zones are
01:42 Tip #2: Familiarize yourself w/ common scams
02:54 Tip #3: Pickpockets often aren't recognizable
03:17 Tip #4: Don't bring valuables out
03:34 Tip #5: Avoid keeping things in your pocket
04:28 Tip #6: Look into anti-theft bags
04:39 Tip #7: Don't be a tourist caricature
05:18 Tip #8: Don't look like you'd be good to rob
05:47 Tip #9: Keep a lock on your zippers
06:10 Common Pickpocketing Techniques

[bookersch]

A video you must watch before traveling to Europe! After watching this video, I decided my wife and teenage daughter should watch it. I also made my young adult niece who had never traveled to Europe watch it in the airport before we boarded our flight to London. Five days later, while she was standing amid the crowds gathered in the plaza of The Eiffel Tower in Paris, my niece got to use her newly acquired education when a couple of thieves tried to steal her purse. When one of them bumped into her, she dropped her arm on her small purse, holding it tightly against her chest. When the thief moved behind me, attempting to make a second attempt on her purse, my niece locked eyes with him, letting him know through her stare that she was wise to his wicked intentions. Seeing this, the other criminal signaled for his partner to move on to easier prey. Thanks again for such an insightful video. It save us from a traveling tragedy.

[angelblue]

I was in Venice for a trip one year, I was looking at some t-shirts at a venue outside at some like marketplace area. I put my phone down on the counter to look at the shirt using both hands, it was like 5 seconds. I turned around. my phone was gone. I was freaking out for 10 minutes. turns out my brother took it cause he wanted to "teach me a lesson" about leaving things around lmao

[carolpool]

Great advice and I love how concise you are, not dragging it out for 20 minutes!

[paulmeuse]

Very good video. I'm a Marine Vietnam vet, and very vigilant. I don't use wallets. They get lost or stolen. There are places underneath your clothes where you can put stuff, and you can split it up. Some in a backpack etc. You can put some money in your sock.

A sharp pickpocket can get into the pockets inside your coat. Keep everyone beyond arms length. If there's a crowd going the same way as me, I wait till they pass. I'm scanning them, too. On escalators, I go when someone is 3-4 steps ahead of me. If people come up from behind, I turn sideways. Distance is key.

Some things I do:
When l leave a hotel. I scan the area. If walking in the city, use shop windows as mirrors. Distance. If someone can't get close, they can't steal. I've turned around and look right at them. I don't care if I'm wrong about a particular person. I go with my instincts.

People say don't stand there looking at a map. I do. My first time in Barcelona- I stood outside of a tourist office, my back to the wall, with a map in hand. I 'watched the action'. Who is looking at me. Other times, I have a coffee in hand. I saw pickpockets in action, and alerted people.

When four thieves came up to me, I yelled 'Policía'. They ran. You can also yell 'carterista (pickpocket), or 'ladron' (thief). Alert people fast. Yelling it should get rid of them. Find out key words, and emergency numbers before you go on holiday.

If I see a commotion, I get away. Distance. When a few determined ones come near, I say some variation of 'I'll kill you if you try'... or 'I'll
break your f**kin fingers'. I've done the latter. I would NOT recommend this; I'm just saying what I sometimes do.

Jewellery. If you want it on you, put it around your ankle, and wear jeans, etc. I've no jewellery. And, I never use hotel safes. They're easy to get into. Occasionally, it will be a staff member.

I use a Jansport pack, and a big pack
a big pack. No suitcases. At times, before I go out, I leave a note on an A4 sheet of paper in the large backpack that says in the room. The note says 'If you are reading this...I will know when I return'.

I keep a baseball in my Jansport daily backpack. If someone wants to get physical, or stole from someone near me... I become a pitcher. I've tripped thieves who stole from a couple, and began running.

Money bags, or pouches etc... I never use. I saw a male gypsy in Lisbon rip it right off a woman in a group. I was stunned. But, I chased him into the arms of an undercover Portuguese policía.

Remember, YELL! I did in Lisbon, and a thief dropped a man's backpack. Finally, don't let a bad experience ruin your holiday. You can lose everything you own, but you'll be able to replace much. The only thing you can't replace is your life and soul. Good work.

[paisleypath]

You don’t even need a lock on your purse. I have used a paper clip, small safety pin or screw type carabiner to secure my stuff with great success. They don’t want to take the extra time to undo it.

[randykirby]

I was just in Italy and I used money belts. And if you can, keep money belts under your clothes. And I used the ones that are RFID, so that no one could scan my debit and credit cards. Don't use conventional wallets.

[findingemo]

if yuo're wearing a crossbody bag or handbag with a flap, it often just helps to wear your bag 'backwards' so they can't get to the flap in the first place

[crunchberrychaos]

I heard of people planting "dummy wallets" with confetti inside that makes a mess when they open it. Easy to spot if they open it near by.

[ceejae]

I was in London recently. Husband, friend and I outside waiting for o ur ride. A woman comes up really close to my husband and asked him to light her cigarette. I said “we don’t smoke’. Conveniently she had a lighter, so I said ‘you can light it yourself. Husband was a bit drunk and was trying to go along with it. I took the lighter off her hand and moved away from my group to get her away. She complained loudly and as she turned, she put her hand behind her (where husband was) to try and feel his pocket. Instead she grabbed a handful of privates which I saw clearly. Her lighter went flying and in micro seconds, so did she. I don’t drink and I’m mighty strong. And husband doesn’t carry anything in his pockets either. I’m the guardian of the goods. 😂😂

[TruthSeeker-zt]

"Hopefully with these tips you won't have to worry about being pickpocketed" I'm way more worried now than I was before but thank you, very helpful!

[christinefindlater]

I was walking in Toronto city centre in winter. I had a scarf around my neck. Someone pulled my scarf on the left and when I used my right hand to pull it back, someone took my wallet from my handbag. It was a crossbody but only had a magnetic clasp. Will never again use anything but a zipper with a locking mechanism. I didn’t realize my wallet was gone until I was trying to pay for my dinner later that evening. Lesson learned.

[emilyserafamanschot]

Some people will spill food or drinks on you and offer to clean you up. I have also seen a group of people knock my son's baseball cap off, then try to pickpocket my husband. A man dropped keys in front of my husband another time. Pickpockets block escalators in metros and other places as well, and try to cut between you and your companions. None of these worked on us, don't let them work on you.

[kurtschmelzer]

I had an experience with the fake cop in Frankfurt. His accomplice pretended to be a lost tourist with a map and asked me for help with directions. As I was doing this a fake plain clothes detective came by and flashed some sort of badge, mentioned something about drug dealers in the area, and asked to see our wallets for id and if we had large sums of cash. The accomplice complied but I felt really uncomfortable and said that I'm not a drug dealer or buyer or doing anything wrong. Then I just walked away.

[GlassChicken]

3 door metros. Enter the middle door, just before the doors close you see 2 people enter the other two doors at the same time just as the doors signal that they are closing. Step off the train before the doors close. This is how they agree on the mark before they get in. I have stepped off a few times and saw them look at each other then looking out at me.

[KS-krok]

Just got back from 2 week in Europe. I did use a travelon anti theft bag and also never ever had my phone out without it being attached to a lanyard. I kept my bag in front of me not on my back. Less is more while walking around during the day. You do not need half the stuff you think you need. I did not wear or carry any jewlery. Nobody in Europe cares if you are wearing makeup. Leave all that crap at home. DO NOT set a backpack down at a cafe without putting your foot through the strap.

[jennifer_mertens]

Nothing better than a light jacket or pants with inside zipper pockets. Keep a bag for chapstick and water bottles, but cash and documents are always best "on body".

[TheMaster]

We were in the Sistine Chapel, crowded with tourists looking up at the ceiling frescoes—- it’s why people go there. At one point I stated to look at the tourists. There was one guy with a fancy camera a backpack. He looked very much like a tourist. Thing was, he never looked at the frescoes but was always looking at people and maybe their bags. Pickpocket in disguise? Maybe. Secure your valuables. Don’t be complacent.

[simi]

This is a great video for anyone traveling to Europe. I'm from Germany myself and pickpockets are definitely a big issue in touristy spots, and even more so during events that involve alcohol (like Oktoberfest or Christmas markets). But also small scale theft of opportunity might hit you any time, like when you leave your bag unattended in a café (like hanging behind you over your chair and such).

Generally it's good to always be aware of where your bag is. It's better to have a cross body strap than just carrying a bag over one shoulder. Basically, the easier something can be torn away from you the more likely someone might give it a shot. Also, as this video rightly sad, the more inside zipper pockets your purse has, the better. Do use them! Never ever keep expensive sun glasses, phone or laptop on a table, even if you think it's just 3 steps for you to pick up your coffee from the starbucks counter. Those guys watch you and they are quick. One moment it's there the next it's gone. Be weary of strangers approaching you in the street. At least for Northern/Middle Europe we generally don't do that. I never randomly approached anyone, you should be weary of people who do. Always be aware of your items and check before leaving a bathroom stall that you did take your purse. If you forget to take it, it may be gone even seconds after coming back to retrieve it. This actually happened to me with a shopping bag I had hung on the hook in a bathroom stall. It contained a perfume, a little hand broom plus shovel. When I came back in 20 secs later after realizing I had forgotten it, the tote was still hanging there, but the perfume (understandably) was gone, but also the handbroom plus shovel (maybe the thief had a really dusty house to take care of I don't know).

And yes, of course, try not to be an easy mark. The more you look and come across like a tourist, the more likely it is you're in someone's sight without even knowing it. I once lived in Santiago de Chile for 6 months, which also has a fairly bad pick-pocketing problem, but despite me walking around with my open purse, my note book for spanish class sticking out, no one ever tried to take anything because I dressed and moved about pretty much like everybody else. Meanwhile, an American friend of ours had his laptop stolen not once, not twice, but thrice within 6 months. My husband had his raybans flicked from a table in a café. Funnily afterwards he had bought a fake pair and that one he could put down without worries, cause the pick-pockets recognized it as fake and didn't care for it XD

Now, I have been living in South Asia for 10 years and I've never had anything stolen here EVER. On the contrary I had people run after me on the street waving my wallet which I had forgotten on the table in some cheap restaurant. One reason for it is certainly, that people who cannot afford expensive items where I live now have no interest stealing them, because anyone who saw them with it would instantly presume it's stolen, and those who can afford them don't need to steal them. In the West poor and wealthier people on surface level look pretty much the same and it's very easy and fast to get away with, say, a macbook under your arm without many people taking notice of you carrying it and peddling it on in some pawn shop or a private buyer. I think that's why pick-pocketing is so rampant in Europe. It's just a very easy to make a quick buck that way.

As someone who has travel a fair bit in her life, my last advice would be to NEVER EVER keep all your vital documents and means of payment in one spot, in one wallet, within one purse. Someone tearing away your purse or backpack should never result in you having to go to the embassy for a new emergency passport and begging relatives at home to send you some cash via western union. Always keep an emergency stash of cash as well as one of your cards well hidden away in your hotel room or preferably the safe if available. If possible also leave your passport in the safe. Getting that one replaced is really a pain.

[keikei]

Keeping a cross body bag in front of you is NOT a deterrent. They will get up close to you nearly stomach to stomach so that you can’t see them reaching into your bag in a group and one will pickpocket you and the others will distract you while that one reaches in and gets into your bag. The best thing to do is always be attentive of your handbag and place your hand on your bag esp where the zippers are located when anyone begins to approach you. It’s always a game of distraction while you’re being pick pocketed so just always keep your guard up when anyone approaches you and place your hands over your bag. Always at least one hand on your bag when you’re in tight crowd spaces and or being approached by anyone

[ellajeanseau]

When I was in France I was having my lunch on a bench at a park (great picnicking spot, many people were there doing it as well) I didn't bring any valuables with me- but a lady came up and asked if I knew English. Silly me I thought she actually needed help. When I wouldn't sign her petition she gave me a glare and then took my strawberries and ate them in front of me. I just stared at her. Like what.