Perche

Not correct. You are far more likely to get pickpocketed in a major city in the USA than in Italy. Contributing to the spike were at least two "professional pickpocket teams" from foreign countries who move from city to city stealing from straphangers, Delatorre said.

"They pick as many pockets as they can over the course of a week or two and then they go to another city," Delatorre said. "So these people that we arrested actually had no criminal history in New York State."

Cops apprehended a pair of teams from Colombia and Chile, the chief said.Subway thieves often take items such as cellphones, wallets, credit cards, cash and expensive headphones, Delatorre said. Police have also had to contend with "homegrown" serial robbers who "work the system constantly," the chief said. He ticked off the names of three alleged thieves who have been arrested for grand larceny multiple times within the transit system."

Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/serial-...ay-11546704000

And;"Warnings and Dangers in New York City Pickpockets
Pickpockets TipsKnown for its skyscrapers, Broadway plays, financial centers and cultural activities, New York City has a great deal to offer. However, one significant danger is that the city is populated with pickpockets.Avoid Keeping Your Wallet in a Back Pocket

While walking in New York City, it is safer to keep your wallet in your front pocket. Pickpockets walking behind you regard your back pocket as a personal invitation to thievery.Spread Out Your Cash and Credit Cards in Different Locations

Avoid storing your cash and credit cards in one place. Instead of placing these items in your wallet, put some of the cash in your purse and a few credit cards in your luggage. If someone does manage to pick your pockets, the thief will not gain access to all your valuables.

And:
"Is NYC safe? The answer is a qualified yes! Considering 8,175,133 residents share 320 sq miles, NYC’s crime rate is impressively low. According to FBI data, NYC is the safest big city in the U.S., ranking above San Jose and San Diego, California. Violent crime is relatively rare in NYC (most crimes occur in economically-depressed areas of northern Manhattan or the boroughs. In many cases, the victim knew the perpetrator, or drugs were a factor). Crimes against tourists are rare, and are usually theft (grab and run) or pick pocketing."

Well, Rome is much safer than NYC, including when it comes to pickpocketing. When I am not in Rome or Venice, I live in San Francisco. SF had 53 homicides last year. Rome had 3. Rome is six times larger than SF.

Do you want to be pickpocketed American style? This week a guy I think in Nashville was getting out of his car when 3 teens demanded his wallet at gunpoint, and he gave it to him. They then demanded the keys to his car. He refused, so they shot him down. He made it inside of his house, where his roommate came home an hour later and found him dead. I'd rather be pickpocketed Roman style than USA style, which is at the point of a gun, and is done at a much higher rate.

NYC, one of the safest cities in America, had its lowest murder rate in 70 years in 2018, with only 289 murders among its 8.3 million residents. The entire country of Italy had 563 murders in its population of 60.6 million.

In Italy, it's called pickpocketing when they take a cell phone or wallet from a tourist who has those things halfway hanging out of their back pocket, or in a wide open purse in crowded place. Pickpocketing is virtually 100% preventable with some common sense; just don't put your stuff where someone can steal them. In Italy when someone steals your wallet it's called pickpocketing. In the USA it's usually called armed robbery, because they use a gun or a knife. You can easily prevent being pickpocketed, whereas it's hard to to fight off a guy who wants your wallet who is pointing a gun at you.

This stereotyping of Italy being a dangerous place and a den of thieves is so outmoded and contrary to all facts. You are more likely to lose your wallet at gunpoint in Baltimore than lose it to a pickpocket in Venice.

Whether you live in Sarasota, Florida, or in NYC, when you go to Italy you are going to be safer, and less likely to have something taken from you. Your biggest danger of losing your wallet is when you go back home to the USA, unless of course, you go to Italy, Barcelona, San Francisco, LA, Philadelphia, and are careless about your stuff.

"In Italy and elsewhere, thieves have made off with US Secret Service protectee's personal belongings even as the thefts were being done in the presence of the US Secret Service personal security detail assigned to the protectees." In NYC just this week two prostitutes made off with an officers gun while offering him, "service."

Officers assigned to guard Congress who work in the Senate and House of Representatives forget and leave their guns in the bathrooms frequently, and of course, this is past security screening.

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell left his gun in the toilet seat dispenser of those circular things you can put on the toilet bowl in a bathroom in the Senate building recently. A tourist who works for CVC found the gun. A 7 year old child found the loaded gun of then Majority Leader Bohner in the Senate, post-security public bathroom. It was a loaded Glock with a bullet in the chamber left by a member of his protection team. A Glock was found by the janitor cleaning the Capitol Police headquarters, assigned to protect one of the world's most important and visited government complexes. He didn't lose it in a toilet booth. He lost it in plain sight.

Guns have a safety you have to click off in order to fire. A Glock does not. If the 7 year old thought it was a toy and fired, the gun would have gone off.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/capitol...eft-in-toilet/

A secret service agent assigned specifically to protect President Obama had his gun stolen from his car because he left it in plain sight. After the Secret Service Prostitution scandal in Columbia when they went there to prep for Obama's visit and the prostitutes they frequented stole their guns, the Secret Service increased the severity of the penalty for losing their gun from 8 days suspension to 14 days.

This constant portrayal of Italy as some sort of out of control mafia ridden, pickpocketing place is so off base. If you don't want to get pickpocketed, just put your stuff where it can't be pickpocketed. It's almost 100% preventable because they seek out the vulnerable appearing victim with their phone sticking out of their back pocket. In the USA, taking you wallet is not done subtly, it's done by gun or knife point, or a gang beating.

I disagree with this. OP should just read about how to not make himself a victim, and he will not become one, until he gets back to the USA.