Where are pickpockets in the U.S.?
 

Has anyone been pickpocketed in the U.S.? I know it's rampant in other countries. I'm interested in hearing from people who have been victims in our country. The book "Travel Advisory" discusses thefts, cons, and scams, but mostly outside of the U.S. Experiences, anyone?

To answer the question, everywhere in the U.S.

Be careful. Think "pickpocket" instantly first if you should encounter any of the symptoms, such as having ketchup spilled on you. Since pickpockets often work in pairs, you are better off when traveling with someone else to help.

Fortunately I have not been a victim ... yet.

Travel tips:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/travel.htm

I was pickpocketed about two months ago as I ate lunch in a restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. My wallet was stolen from the pocket of my winter coat, which was hanging on the chair I was sitting in. When I reported it to the police, they said that that particular crime was rampant in Cambridge and that they received reports like mine "all the time".

Pickpocketing is alive and well in the U.S., to answer your question.

Bourbon Street in New Orleans has a reputation for pickpocketing. The times I've been there for Sugar Bowls, a few people I knew did get picked, but everyone was usually smart enough to carry a minimum of things in their pockets.

Bourbon Street has big crowds at night, drunk people who might not otherwise be as attentive as they ought, and people carrying cash for the bars, etc. It's veritably a dream for pickpockets. On the other hand, there is also a decent police presence, including undercover cops. I've had more than one person bump into me or brush against a back pocket or jacket there only to see the same person later that evening arresting someone for carrying a concealed weapon or the like.

when i was in ny...
 

i walked by this "bum" looking guy on a relatively quiet sidewalk... he bumped into me and spilled his coffee... then proceeded to start yelling at me as though it were my fault and wanted me to give him money... i refused and kept walking...

a friend of mine who lives there says that this happened to him a few times.... once it was a bag of "important stuff" that was dropped...

i don't know that this really fits into the pickpocket category but the symptoms are similiar... it may just be a scam to get tourists to feel bad and give them money... but definately something to watch out for ;p

There are pickpockets in every major city. I don't think it's a rampant problem; at least no where I've been, but it's always a good idea to keep close control of your stuff.

This happened to a friend in NYC, as well. But instead of coffee or a bag of "important stuff" he claimed my friend knocked his glasses off and they got smashed.

If anyone tried pulling this scam on me, I'd suggest we get the police involved so they can take down a report for my own "insurance purposes." If they guy is legit, I'm sure he'd have no problem with that.

What's counterintuitive is that these days, pickpockets may have better luck in poorer neighborhoods, where some residents don't have bank accounts or credit cards and carry around large amounts of cash.

With ATMs located practically everywhere and most merchants accepting credit/debit cards, most people I know don't carry around any more than $20 in cash at any given time, making pickpocketing less and less profitable.

This is especially true in areas with large populations of immigrants. Many of the restaurants in these areas (especially Asian restaurants) are cash-only, hence a need to carry around larger amounts of cash. Also, these restaurants become virtual magnets for armed robbers.

Many immigrants who work in construction or other labor-intensive industries carry their whole paychecks in cash, which makes them far more enticing targets than white-collar execs who have hardly any cash on them (and who know enough to immediately cancel all plastic after getting robbed).

When I lived in Manhatten it was on 7th Ave. The guy had a bottle of booze. He claimed he just bought it, for all I knew it had pee in it. I gave him $5 but was told later it was a scam.
They try to get you to take your money out so they can snatch it and run.

I think the credit cards are the jackpot for pickpockets. Mine were missing for less than 30 minutes, and by the time I reported them stolen there were thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges on them.

wahooflyer had a good point, but GradGirl nailed it. I was going to say this. Plastic is preferable to thieves now. And if they don't know how to use it, they definitely know where to sell it. The ultimate prize for a thief is called "a set of works," or a "spread." That is, a credit card, drivers license, and ss#. It's better than cash. I define pickpockets as either opportunists, or strategists. The opportunists are easy to outsmart. The strategists create their own diversion and can be quite devious. BTW, I wrote the book mentioned at the start of the thread. More experiences, anyone?

thiefhunter...thanks for the insight and welcome to Flyertalk!

I disagree, because 1) most people will call their credit card companies within hours, if not minutes, after their card is stolen to cancel it and have one with a new card number issued; and 2) credit card purchases can be easily tracked. If you're talking thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases (enough to make it worth the effort), police can find the thieves through security cameras and mail order records.

I think cash is still king as far as most thieves are concerned.

A Social Security number and driver's license, on the other hand, could be valuable, since then a thief can commit identity theft. He/she can open up new credit cards in the victim's name and have them sent to a different address so the victim won't find out, or sell the SSN to illegal immigrants and others. But the good news is, most people don't carry around Social Security cards so this type of theft is probably less common.

I had my credit card stolen once. I noticed it about 90 minutes later. The thief made under $300 in purchases before I cut him off. A few days later, I tracked him down and had him arrested ;)

Stealing a credit card is a felony in NY.