Rome, pickpockets paradise or urban legend?
Dec 4, 2000, 3:37 pm
#16
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Monkeyville
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Posts: 4,647
am i the only that was also being robbed on the train? (including in front of the Vatican, that counted TWICE!)
overnight train, alone in the car, woke up, my BAG was gone: passport, tkts, traveller's checks ($3000.00, but was reimbursed later in Rome by Amex), and lots of CA$$H!!! (that was the time before ATM)...let us put it this way, i made a gypsy family of six very happily fed for at least six months somewhere in Italy....
hearing a scream from my car, the conductor, who did not speak english, rushed in to see what happened... immediately he knew, nodded his head, gestured me to wait... 2 minutes later, he returned, with my BAG, everything was in there, except the travellers checks and of course, cash!
he then showed me he found the abandoned bag in the toilet down the hallway....
now, how would i know he was not an accomplice????
to date, i still have fears going back to Italy.... and i have not, since this last incident....
overnight train, alone in the car, woke up, my BAG was gone: passport, tkts, traveller's checks ($3000.00, but was reimbursed later in Rome by Amex), and lots of CA$$H!!! (that was the time before ATM)...let us put it this way, i made a gypsy family of six very happily fed for at least six months somewhere in Italy....
hearing a scream from my car, the conductor, who did not speak english, rushed in to see what happened... immediately he knew, nodded his head, gestured me to wait... 2 minutes later, he returned, with my BAG, everything was in there, except the travellers checks and of course, cash!
he then showed me he found the abandoned bag in the toilet down the hallway....
now, how would i know he was not an accomplice????
to date, i still have fears going back to Italy.... and i have not, since this last incident....
Dec 4, 2000, 6:12 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: NYC, CO GOLD, Leisure travel only
Posts: 88
did a little research and found this on the web.
Enjoy!
Thoughts and Theory on Thwarting Thieves
Never be a Victim
Be safe from pickpockets and street thieves.
Bob Arno Advises:
First understand: Yes, it CAN happen to you.
Be aware of your surroundings. Don't permit a stranger to move into your personal space.
If you're in a crowd, be particularly aware of your valuables. Suspect bumps or jostles. They may be a distraction technique. Take your wallet out of your pocket. Carry your valuables (purse, wallet) in your hands close to your chest.
Women: keep your purse tucked under your arm, or let it hang in front of you rather than behind you. Keep your bag closed properly, and if it has a flap, wear the flap against your body. Never hang your purse on the back of a chair in a public place, where it's out of your sight. Keep it on your lap. If you must put it on the floor, tuck the strap under your thigh, or put the chair leg through it. Keep your wallet at the bottom of your purse.
Men: Keep your wallet in your tightest pocket, and button the pocket if it has a button. Turning your wallet sideways or wrapping it with a rubberband may make it more difficult for a thief to remove. Loose or gaping front pants pockets are easy for a thief. So is a wallet which protrudes from a back pocket.
In some cities, thefts are common by back-seat motorscooter riders. To avoid having your bag snatched by a passing thief, women should walk far from the curb and against the traffic.
Fanny packs are very safe IF you secure the zippers, which are easily opened by practised thieves. Use a safety pin, a paperclip fastened to a rubberband around the belt strap, or string. Anything to make opening the zipper more difficult.
Never flash your money. Try not to reveal where you keep it.
Be kind to strangers, but keep a good grip on your valuables at the same time. Some pickpockets create devious scenarios to divert your attention or gain your confidence (hence: "con men"). Common ruses: "something dirty got on you, let me help you clean it off;" "I dropped my contact, help me."
When traveling abroad:
Never carry more cash or valuables than necessary. Use a credit card for most purchases. You'll save on currency exchange commissions, too.
If you must carry cash, use a moneybelt, or wear a thin pouch under your shirt or inside your pants (a very good model hangs from your belt inside your pants).
It is rarely necessary to carry your passport. Keep it locked up with your airline tickets, and carry a photocopy of the first page, instead.
Pickpockets can be men or women, children or grandmothers, pairs or gangs. They can be well-dressed, or dressed like a tourist (carrying map and water bottle). You will probably never recognize a pickpocket, but he or she will recognize you as a "mark."
Dress down. Don't attract thieves by looking like a wealthy tourist. And remember, the thief can't tell your Rolex is fake or your jewelry is costume. Leave it in your hotel.
Since you don't know the customs in foreign cities, be on your guard if you are approached by a stranger. Even the innocent gift of a flower on the street can become a pickpocketing incident. Use caution with your friendliness.
If you have just been pickpocketed and the thief is still nearby, grab onto his/her arm and shout for police. Chances are good that your wallet will magically appear on the ground.
Never resist a mugger.
Don't forget to enjoy your travels! With these basic precautions and awareness of your surroundings, you should never be a victim.
Enjoy!
Thoughts and Theory on Thwarting Thieves
Never be a Victim
Be safe from pickpockets and street thieves.
Bob Arno Advises:
First understand: Yes, it CAN happen to you.
Be aware of your surroundings. Don't permit a stranger to move into your personal space.
If you're in a crowd, be particularly aware of your valuables. Suspect bumps or jostles. They may be a distraction technique. Take your wallet out of your pocket. Carry your valuables (purse, wallet) in your hands close to your chest.
Women: keep your purse tucked under your arm, or let it hang in front of you rather than behind you. Keep your bag closed properly, and if it has a flap, wear the flap against your body. Never hang your purse on the back of a chair in a public place, where it's out of your sight. Keep it on your lap. If you must put it on the floor, tuck the strap under your thigh, or put the chair leg through it. Keep your wallet at the bottom of your purse.
Men: Keep your wallet in your tightest pocket, and button the pocket if it has a button. Turning your wallet sideways or wrapping it with a rubberband may make it more difficult for a thief to remove. Loose or gaping front pants pockets are easy for a thief. So is a wallet which protrudes from a back pocket.
In some cities, thefts are common by back-seat motorscooter riders. To avoid having your bag snatched by a passing thief, women should walk far from the curb and against the traffic.
Fanny packs are very safe IF you secure the zippers, which are easily opened by practised thieves. Use a safety pin, a paperclip fastened to a rubberband around the belt strap, or string. Anything to make opening the zipper more difficult.
Never flash your money. Try not to reveal where you keep it.
Be kind to strangers, but keep a good grip on your valuables at the same time. Some pickpockets create devious scenarios to divert your attention or gain your confidence (hence: "con men"). Common ruses: "something dirty got on you, let me help you clean it off;" "I dropped my contact, help me."
When traveling abroad:
Never carry more cash or valuables than necessary. Use a credit card for most purchases. You'll save on currency exchange commissions, too.
If you must carry cash, use a moneybelt, or wear a thin pouch under your shirt or inside your pants (a very good model hangs from your belt inside your pants).
It is rarely necessary to carry your passport. Keep it locked up with your airline tickets, and carry a photocopy of the first page, instead.
Pickpockets can be men or women, children or grandmothers, pairs or gangs. They can be well-dressed, or dressed like a tourist (carrying map and water bottle). You will probably never recognize a pickpocket, but he or she will recognize you as a "mark."
Dress down. Don't attract thieves by looking like a wealthy tourist. And remember, the thief can't tell your Rolex is fake or your jewelry is costume. Leave it in your hotel.
Since you don't know the customs in foreign cities, be on your guard if you are approached by a stranger. Even the innocent gift of a flower on the street can become a pickpocketing incident. Use caution with your friendliness.
If you have just been pickpocketed and the thief is still nearby, grab onto his/her arm and shout for police. Chances are good that your wallet will magically appear on the ground.
Never resist a mugger.
Don't forget to enjoy your travels! With these basic precautions and awareness of your surroundings, you should never be a victim.
Dec 4, 2000, 6:29 pm
#18
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Don't know....
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Posts: 4,008
SemiElite
Good to hear that they didn't get away with your passport!
Johnpace
Great search on the article. Particularly: "First understand: Yes, it CAN happen to you." I think that a lot of people think that it would never happen to them!
On another note, do you experience that Italian hotels insist in keeping your passport during your stay? Not me asking them to keep it, but they wanting to keep it? I always ask them to photocopy what they want but hand me back the passport.
Good to hear that they didn't get away with your passport!
Johnpace
Great search on the article. Particularly: "First understand: Yes, it CAN happen to you." I think that a lot of people think that it would never happen to them!
On another note, do you experience that Italian hotels insist in keeping your passport during your stay? Not me asking them to keep it, but they wanting to keep it? I always ask them to photocopy what they want but hand me back the passport.
Dec 4, 2000, 6:50 pm
#19
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 1,933
I experienced the same thing walking away from the Colisseum about 10 years ago. I was walking alone, my friends were about 2-3 blocks ahead of me and a bunch of gypsy children came up to me, pushing a map/newspaper in my face but there were so many of them that I couldn't keep track who was grabbing at my fanny pack. Luckily, I screamed and people came running. I met other Americans in the Piazza and they mentioned the same thing happened to them.
Just a few days before the overnight train ride to Rome, the same thing happened while walking back to the train station in a little town of Antibes on the coast of France. I screamed and luckily, my friend came running back and the gypsy children ran, too.
And yes, the pensions that we stayed at in Rome/Florence, insisted in keeping our passports in cubby holes behind the desk.
All this happened over 10 years ago...looks like some things don't change.
Just a few days before the overnight train ride to Rome, the same thing happened while walking back to the train station in a little town of Antibes on the coast of France. I screamed and luckily, my friend came running back and the gypsy children ran, too.
And yes, the pensions that we stayed at in Rome/Florence, insisted in keeping our passports in cubby holes behind the desk.
All this happened over 10 years ago...looks like some things don't change.
Dec 4, 2000, 8:53 pm
#20
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Join Date: Jun 1999
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Hotels throughout Italy are required to take your passport at check-in so to register foreigners with the police. I've never had a problem getting my passport back a few hours after check-in. Other countries do this too. Greece is one.
Dec 4, 2000, 9:28 pm
#21
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Dallas, TX USA
Posts: 2,115
After well over 30 trips to Europe with no crime problems, last Thanksgiving 2 guys tried to pick my pocket near the Rome Termini train station using the "Sorry, got some cigarette ashes on your jacket. Let us help clean them off for you" line. Luckily, I recognized the technique and ran before they cleaned me out. About 2 months later a friend of mine got his pocket picked on a bus literally minutes after arriving in Rome.
This will not keep me from returning to Rome,
but I would advise anybody planning a trip there to be extremely cautious and vigilant.
Mike
This will not keep me from returning to Rome,
but I would advise anybody planning a trip there to be extremely cautious and vigilant.
Mike
Dec 5, 2000, 3:07 am
#23
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Australia
Posts: 2,813
Its no urban legend .I was in Rome in august this year and travelled a lot from terminale to the convention centre on the metro.
"Gypsy" like kids aged in one case 10 or 11 years and on a second occasion , 4 or 5 ( mum was nearby)attempted to pick my backpocket ( containing a map) and my shirt pocket containing my wallet.The next day,l started to use a neck pouch.Needless to say, I only carried one credit card, usd50 and my railpass.
Interestingly enough , a friend of mine on the same trip, stood next to a person with a backpack between the two of them. During the course of the jolting journey, he remembered thinking the backkpkack was pushing against him more than he would expect.He left at the next station and found his fly undone and the first zip on his waist belt undone.I guess one more station would have seen his credit cards gone.
Ozflier
"Gypsy" like kids aged in one case 10 or 11 years and on a second occasion , 4 or 5 ( mum was nearby)attempted to pick my backpocket ( containing a map) and my shirt pocket containing my wallet.The next day,l started to use a neck pouch.Needless to say, I only carried one credit card, usd50 and my railpass.
Interestingly enough , a friend of mine on the same trip, stood next to a person with a backpack between the two of them. During the course of the jolting journey, he remembered thinking the backkpkack was pushing against him more than he would expect.He left at the next station and found his fly undone and the first zip on his waist belt undone.I guess one more station would have seen his credit cards gone.
Ozflier
Dec 5, 2000, 5:11 am
#24
In Memoriam
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Duesseldorf, Germany
Posts: 1,157
Good advice: it CAN happen to you.
What I'd like to say, that this not a Rome thing. It happens everywhere, where crouds and tourists are. The more crouds and tourists the more pick pockets.
I had been pick pocketed in Nuremberg. You'll be warned visiting christmas markets all over Germany these days.
What I'd like to say, that this not a Rome thing. It happens everywhere, where crouds and tourists are. The more crouds and tourists the more pick pockets.
I had been pick pocketed in Nuremberg. You'll be warned visiting christmas markets all over Germany these days.
Dec 5, 2000, 8:44 am
#26
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Athens, Alabama, USA
Posts: 569
Having lived in Italy and visited Rome often I can offer a bit of advise. Common sense is your best defense. Travelsmith has a nice double zip purse that works well for travel. It's not a foolproof guaruntee, but it helps. Also, at the train station, don't be fooled by women with "babies" in their arms asking for money. The babies may be real, but they aren't being held by their mother, but a sling. The hand you think is holding the baby is free to pick your pocket or purse.
Of course children are often used as pick pockets. Italian law didn't allow the jailing of minors (I don't know if that has changed). Don't be afraid to be aggressive right back and yell for them to get away from you. Though, the person who may be actually picking your pocket is the well dressed man next to you.
When we were in Rome last year we were amazed at the "clean up" of the city. I don't know if things have changed with the influx of pilgrims for the Jubilee Year, or if the Jubilee is over on January 6th, things will return to "normal".
Be aware, but you don't have to be afraid. I've been robbed more often in Switzerland and the United States than Italy.
Of course children are often used as pick pockets. Italian law didn't allow the jailing of minors (I don't know if that has changed). Don't be afraid to be aggressive right back and yell for them to get away from you. Though, the person who may be actually picking your pocket is the well dressed man next to you.
When we were in Rome last year we were amazed at the "clean up" of the city. I don't know if things have changed with the influx of pilgrims for the Jubilee Year, or if the Jubilee is over on January 6th, things will return to "normal".
Be aware, but you don't have to be afraid. I've been robbed more often in Switzerland and the United States than Italy.
Dec 6, 2000, 1:41 am
#29
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: PDX
Programs: TSA Refusenik charter member
Posts: 15,978
Originally posted by letiole:
Hotels throughout Italy are required to take your passport at check-in so to register foreigners with the police. I've never had a problem getting my passport back a few hours after check-in. Other countries do this too. Greece is one.
Hotels throughout Italy are required to take your passport at check-in so to register foreigners with the police. I've never had a problem getting my passport back a few hours after check-in. Other countries do this too. Greece is one.
Spain, another.
Dec 6, 2000, 11:11 pm
#30
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: CHS
Programs: UA Premier, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,110
I was in Rome last March and didn't have any problems with pickpockets/thieves. However, I was very aware of potential problems before arrived.
First; my favorite laptop bag is rather strange. It is a 20 year messenger-style camera bag from Tamrac. It has a main interior compartment that is padded on all sides and measures about 4" x 10" x 14". I used this for my typical travel stuff to get to Rome. Once I got there, I used the safe in my room to keep my computer, my wallet, extra cash/travelers checks and all travel related documents.
While touring the city, I carried in this bag my digital camera, my wife's camcorder, tour books and bottled water. Prior to departure, I had my local shoe repair place sew in some extra velcro it to make more difficult/noisy to open the bag without my knowledge. Additionally, I wore the bag 'bandolier style' which is atypical for me. I always remained aware of my surroundings, especially in crowds or on public transportation. I wasn't paranoid, simply cautious. One unique feature of these bags is a shallow zipper pocket on the back of the bag which is great for carrying paper/cards.
I have a credit card case that I use to carry a few cards and money while walking around. As the weather was cool when I was there, I wore a Travelsmith blazer on almost all days. I would put the card case in one of the zippered/hidden pockets in the coat. Also, I would carry photocopies of our passports/departure airline tickets in case I needed to make large purchases for which I could get automatic VAT (my wife bought a beautiful leather laptop case while there). This is far better than actually carrying your travel documents.
In general, just be aware of your surroundings and potential places/situations that are problematic.
First; my favorite laptop bag is rather strange. It is a 20 year messenger-style camera bag from Tamrac. It has a main interior compartment that is padded on all sides and measures about 4" x 10" x 14". I used this for my typical travel stuff to get to Rome. Once I got there, I used the safe in my room to keep my computer, my wallet, extra cash/travelers checks and all travel related documents.
While touring the city, I carried in this bag my digital camera, my wife's camcorder, tour books and bottled water. Prior to departure, I had my local shoe repair place sew in some extra velcro it to make more difficult/noisy to open the bag without my knowledge. Additionally, I wore the bag 'bandolier style' which is atypical for me. I always remained aware of my surroundings, especially in crowds or on public transportation. I wasn't paranoid, simply cautious. One unique feature of these bags is a shallow zipper pocket on the back of the bag which is great for carrying paper/cards.
I have a credit card case that I use to carry a few cards and money while walking around. As the weather was cool when I was there, I wore a Travelsmith blazer on almost all days. I would put the card case in one of the zippered/hidden pockets in the coat. Also, I would carry photocopies of our passports/departure airline tickets in case I needed to make large purchases for which I could get automatic VAT (my wife bought a beautiful leather laptop case while there). This is far better than actually carrying your travel documents.
In general, just be aware of your surroundings and potential places/situations that are problematic.