Not entirely true - while it may be OK for you to walk around without your passport if you're obviously of European descent, many countries do have laws that state that you must carry ID at all times. For non-EU citizens the only valid ID is a passport.

often, the lack of a place to put it - few small European non-chain hotels have room safes, and ... are you going to do while actually enroute - leaves little alternative but carrying your passport....

I carry both one of the little zip cases with a belt loop for carrying inside my pants, and have never had any "visibility" problems with a Cordura, round the neck passport "wallet", little bigger than a fancy convention name badge holder, and easy to wear underneath clothes at "high belly" level.

The secret - duplicate resources. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, and along with copies of your PP, carry a redundant "loadout" of CCs/ATMs/backup cash (In emergencies, dollars still work in tourist environments.)

Traveling regularly in Western Europe, especially Italy and Spain, since 1962 - numerous occasions - and back then, Naples was portrayed as the criminal center of the Western World, I've never had an occasion in which I thought a pickpocket was "Working at" me, and have encountered/viewed few examples, other than one scooter-riding Roman purse-snatcher, unsuccessful, since another tourist, unknown to me, and I painfully and effectively "arm-barred" him off the back of the Lambretta onto the cobbles. I've seen groups of Albanian kids/women who I believed were working snatches and lifts, but have been untroubled by them.

Back in May from Budapest, Vienna, and Prague with much time in tourist venues, I saw some shifty characters in Prague, but no identifiable pickpockets.

Looking vulnerable, acting vulnerably and doing things to increase your vulnerability are strong attractions for those in the trade....

I only came close to being pick-pocketed once, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
I was going into the metro station when a guy ducked in front of me and blocked the door -- he acted like it was really hard to open. I think the idea was for me to reach over him and help him push it open, while his confederate lifted my wallet. However, his act looked so fake that it made me suspicious and I backed away.

I realize it's probably only a matter of time before someone gets me... I'm not looking forward to it.

Other than that, I've just encountered the usual scams ("Wanna buy a Tube ticket?").

My added bits...
 

There are many ways for pickpockets to operate - solo or with help or in a gang. Most likely places for them to operate is where there are good pickings - tourist jammed locations and crowds. Off-season travel is economical and may well mean the thieves have moved on to more lucrative spots; they are travelers too.

Solo may be the rarest - it's better to operate with a stall who will take the wallet / goods and walk off, so if the pick is recognizes, there's no way to prove a thing.

Solos may splurt sauce on you, show you an object or use some other distraction to divert your attention and nab the goods. A few (like the Colombian-trained in Latin America) are solo razor artists (PacSafe can help with razor and knife artists, with hidden wired or steel net camera straps, butt packs, and the like.))

Gangs / teams may both divert you (someone does something distracting while a team member does the snatch) and may also take an action like having a mock argument and tossing a member at you - as you lift your hands to fend off the sudden "launched person" coming at you, which is when the "dip" occurs.

Over the half-century plus have traveled in about 90 countries, everyting from hiking to VW bus to First class, I have seen or heard it all and experienced some - being robbed twice in one day in Seoul - once by a gang and again by an Army desk sergeant (I still have the watch that was stolen twice,) and more recently bu a gang of five in Istanbul (one member was watching an ATM with a cell phone to call the team.)

I leave my passport and most cards, etc. in a safe at my hotel / host's - in many countries, even China, one is encouraged to carry an identification (a drivers' license will do often, check local conditions,) and I carry a paper copy of my passport page (and visa, if required.) I also have copies of important docs scanned and in my e-mail via Google - I can access these almost anywhere.

For travel I use trousers with zipped inside pockets, such as from Travelsmith, Sportif and Magellan's. These protected my wallet from an attempted pocket pick (described above) in Istanbul. I also use shirts from them, with a zippered large documents pocket behind the real shirt pocket - many are large enough for full sized airline tickets (remember those? ;)) and passports.

I stay alert in my environment, do not act like easy pickings (walk around jet lagged and read maps in public, for instance,) and am wary when someone approaches me and they are TOO friendly - nobody previously unknown to me really wants to now where I am from, what my name is, or is interested in inviting me to a tea ceremony, restaurant or their "art" or "antiques" shop. Building a relationship takes a bit of time - "instant friendship" without reason outside a hotel in an obvious tourist destination is suspect; use your gut.

Keep in control, follow your gut instinct, look like you are savvy and use common sense, you will probably be OK anywhere in the world. Get distracted, get drunk on your own, etc. you may "give up" some of your possessions.

In crowded places, especially public transportation, be careful with people "accidentally" bumping into you, appearing to fall right next to you (so that you catch them by reflex)... basically various distractions. When you loose your balance, after you regain it you often tend to check the pocket that has your wallet. That's how they know where it is. When you're distracted by some sudden loss of balance or by someone right next to you, you tend to completely ignore your pockets and valuables. That's when you're vulnerable. If you generally do your best to be vigilant (that is not to say paranoid), you should be ok.

The same thing applies when you're in a public place and hear or see an announcement reminding you to look out for pickpockets or keep track of your valuables: Your first instinct is usually to check your pocket or purse, thus showing potential pickpockets precisely where the goods are.

I agree with being vigilant without being paranoid; simply being aware of your surroundings and being familiar with common pickpocketing techniques should keep you out of most trouble.

Last fall I had my backpack stolen at the Geneva train station. Mr b1513 was *watching* it while I went for a cup of coffee for both of us. When I came back to the table he said to be careful because he saw a guy eyeing up the place. Of course, it was too late. We realized it happened when my husband got up to hand me some Swiss francs he wanted to get rid of before we left for Paris. Luckily, our passports weren't in it but my iPhone and his cell were and that part was the biggest pain in the neck. My home owners covered it all, but still............

Bobette

Thought I'd post a few of my experiences in case they're helpful to others. Honestly, nothing much different than what has been posted already, but still quite creative and tricks to keep an eye out for.

As background, I lived in Madrid for six months during this time period. In full disclosure I do stick out being tall with blonde hair, but have traveled extensively across 6 continents so am pretty well versed in theives' tricks.

1. Was on the metro in Madrid when someone came up and acted like they had accidentally burnt a hole on my shirt with a cigarette. Obviously a ruse, so my hand went immediately to my purse (they wouldn't have been able to get any cards/cash, but my camera was fair game). I felt a hand quickly brush mine so I did a quick mental scan and realized the camera was gone. By this time we were actually on the subway train, so I screamed at the guy to give it back (twice) and he did (I bet he got kicked out of the gang).

2. Exiting the subway once, someone tried to cut the purse strap with a knife (since I wear it cross shoulder), but I always hold the physical purse so he didn't get anything and I yelled "ladron" at him too. :)

3. I was with friends in Puerta del Sol and one friend had his wallet in his back pocket (dumb idea) and someone came up and kicked him in his shin to distract him. I was a few yards behind and yelled to watch his pocket, but the other guy got his wallet. Never keep your wallet in your back pocket.

4. Always count change and if you're in a cab, know what the starting meter should read and where (approx) you are going so you don't get taken for a ride (literally). I've argued with many a cab driver and refused to pay.

5. If you're eating in an ouside cafe, always keep your purse/bags looped through one arm or the leg of your chair (if you're heavy and think someone couldn't budge your chair if they tried to snatch something and run).

As an aside, I'm from New Orleans originally (though live in NYC now) and think NO is much more dangerous than any European city I've been to (though it is a wonderful city). I was at a 5 star restaurant last year and someone tried to steal my purse from underneath my table by pretending that his coat arm got caught on something. I grabbed him, didn't let him go and basically felt up and down his arm to make sure he didn't get anything. I yelled at him too and he ran out. Don't mess with the New Yorker. :D

In short, it can happen anywhere you go!

EWRGirl

Update from Athens...
 

Pickpockets are still in plentiful supply anywhere tourists congregate - I had to maneuver away from a pair Sunday, and Monday (August 16) we had a pair attempt their bit on us: one stalled with his cell phone at the up escalator at Monastirakis (Plaka) station whilst the other tried to get close to my wife for her purse - I moved her to be in front of me, then the two got on behind me - one to put his hand into my pocket (the "pick") to grab my wallet, the other to take the wallet and head out (the "stall").

I am not a violent guy, but all this attempt to snatch my wife's purse and then grab my wallet required me to punch him with my fist in the chest just below the breastbone and push him back into his thieving colleague when did feel the inevitable and awaited "touch", accompanied by a yelled thread to call the cops (ever-present all over Athens Monday, but none in the station). My wallet is intact, but I suspect it was memorable for the little thieving rats and maybe they will think more carefully about targeting foreign old people.

On the subway back toward Evangelismos one nasty brute grabbed a woman's purse, then began the "show me your passport and your money" ploy, pretending to be a cop "checking" a potential Romanian or illegal migrant's "documents. No ID, alone, using intimidation and bullying alone - this is not likely a cop, though some guys doing this bit do have phony badges. Decline to give way to these bullies until you see uniformed cops then yell your bloody head off or at least / insist on going to a police station - though local cops can get nasty and pushy, no cop has the right to "examine your money", though they do have the right to check your identity documents (we use color photocopies of our passport front page and leave the original in the hotel safe).

Keep your stuff safely out of reach - money wallets and belts under your clothing, PacSafe butt packs with steel wire, locks and cable worn in front of you, zippered inside pockets and a sense of awareness will serve you well. If people put on a distraction or attempt to block you on an escalator or entering the Metro, look around and away from the distraction, or move aside and avoid the block.

http://www.pacsafe.com/media/product...00-800x484.jpg
PacSafe high capacity butt pack diagram; not even a Colombian razor artist will get your stuff

Other prevalent cons currently in Athens are from some taxi drivers - I observed some pirate cabs at the Pireas cruise terminal Saturday, touting services at the exit. Other taxi drivers claim broken meters or (and restaurant, shop operators) making the usual claim of "no change" or attempting to short change, some really cheeky driver / touts telling pax their hotel burned down or "helpfully" making a cell phone call to verify your booking and tell you the hotel is full and has no record of your reservation, but he can oh-so-helpfully take you to a place he can get you a special deal at - a highly marked up substandard fleabag he gets a huge commission from.

The "bar" scam is still strong here and in Istanbul as well - guy befriends another guy(s), claims "Why, my beloved cousin lives in Hoboken! Let's have a drink!" followed by big guys insisting you drank hundreds of Euros worth of cheap hooch in fake bottles; super-shoddy goods in the Plaka area; "genuine fake" brands sold everywhere, cheap knockoffs made in China; touts for hotels and bars, etc.

This is not to say Athens is unsafe - it is one of the safer places to visit, with little actual physical violence, but during high tourist season cons and thieves come out of the woodwork, and some of these cons are universal and encountered in other European (and non-European) urban and tourist environments.

On the street, take the minimum cash, cards and ID you need; leave the rest in the safe. In many countries, it is safe to take color photocopies of front passport pages as ID, leaving the fair dinkum in the safe - send yourself a PDF of that page you can retrieve as necessary on GMail or the like, along with contact numbers and numbers (coded if necessary) as well. Check maps etc. in shops and restaurants, not in public. Be careful of where you access wallet, cash, or use ATMs - you may well be observed, and in this day of cellular telephony, that act can be videoed and sent to partners in crime so you can be targeted by a mob.

Check carefully ATMs / cash machines for "bumps" and protuberances that contain video cams or card readers, mirrors and "shoulder surfers" observing you, or strips that trap your card (at which point a well-dressed person often appears telling you to repeat your PIN a couple of times - as they retain the information for when they retrieve your trapped card and use your PIN to help themselves, not you). Use ATMs in protected areas - banks allowing access with a card at the door, hotels, big empty spaces you can surveil briefly before using the machine, keep your partner looking around and not at you as you access the cash. Put cash and card in a temporary safe place until you can get into someplace more private to put it in your safer place (money belt, etc.)

So far in over a half-century of traveling all seven continents, I have been actually robbed twice (in one day, and I got my camera, watch, etc, back both times), and have (touch wood!) foiled a number of cons, pickpockets, would-be thieves, etc. in six of them. EWRGirl's sugestions are very good ones. Awareness and preparation are the best defense, unless you can easily make use of the Greek phalanx to take 'em down. ;)

I just ignore everyone in Istanbul who walks up to me and starts a conversation. I have never met any who doesn't want me to buy something I don't want and don't need.

That bit of advice will serve well anywhere - nobody really cares much what your name is, or where you are from, if you are merely walking down the street, unless you are really in an out of the way place.

Sorry to hear about your experience in Athens, JDiver! I've had problems with thieves in other Mediterranean countries but never in Greece. In fact I would go as far as to say that the Greek are very proud and honest people and that you will unlikely encounter any crime at least from the Greek themselves. I certainly hope their economic problems have not changed that lately!

One thing I don't think has been mentioned in the above postings: there have been reliable reports that pick pocket teams (usually non-Greeks) in the Athens area have been targeting people waiting for and boarding the buses that go from Piraeus or Syntagma square to the airport. There have been horror stories of people getting to the airport before they discover they no longer have their passports, money, and plane tickets. Be alert when taking those buses, especially when anyone gets too close to you or stops suddenly in front of you (to allow someone behind you to take your stuff); and preferably keep all your valuables under your clothes.

Just back from first trip to Lisbon where we encountered a team of Columbian pickpockets (identified by accent by a Spanish Prof.) at the terminal on one of the historic trams lines.

Not quite sure what their scam was, but one of the team (very short, young, muscular guy) headed right around the line of tourists and locals waiting to get on and tried to bull his way in at the head of the line.

He was shocked when I didn't let him get on in front of me and started cursing in Spanish.

This apparently disrupted the plan and the whole crew (around five guys) backed off and apparently decided to take the next tram.

As we pulled away they were making certain gestures at us as we took their pictures. @:-)

I have to wonder why the Lisbon cops haven't picked these obvious crooks up.

Kinda of the same thing I wondered last year in Barcelona.

By the way, from LIS we were in London where it appears things are under much better control, despite the tourist hordes in Central London.

I'm not sure bum bags are ever a good idea, unless the store has run out of "I'm a tourist please pick-pocket me" t-shirts