Share your opinions and experiences about thieves you have encountered while travelling, and/or what you do to protect yourself from them.
When we lived in the UK, as UK citizens, studying, working, doing normal stuff....
We got burgled 3 times.
I got my wallet knicked from my pocket while I was studying in the Uni library. They took the money and cards out and replaced it without me noticing.
My mate got her wallet knicked from the table in the bar we were in. She had just returned with a round of drinks and the wallet vanished.
A friend got held up at knifepoint at a cashpoint. In the middle of the University campus. At 4 in the afternoon.
I don't believe it's any better or worse either at home or away. It's just different. There are opportunist thieves everywhere.
Reply to this Too true Mell, I lost a check book to a pickpocket at a Bob Marley festival here in Austin Texas, I have had my car broken into twice while it was parked in my driveway. You know America can be a very violent place, with strong arm and Armed robberies ,home invasion and kidnappings etc, I think that Europe ( at least western Europe) is safer in this aspect. Down on the Texas Mexico border the drug cartels have turned it into a war zone. A lot of innocent people have been killed or injured because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Reply to this I don't believe it's any better or worse either at home or away. It's just different. There are opportunist thieves everywhere.
I certainly dont think all countries are the same, where thieving and muggings are concerned. I take more and sometimes different precautions in some countries than others.
Reply to this Yes you can get robbed everywhere. But I think thieves think that it is easier to get away with because those traveling are at a disadvantage - no matter where you travel.
Reply to this Never been robbed or pickpocketed. Good trick for sleeping on buses and trains is to wear sunglasses where people can't see your eyes, does help as thieves think again as unsure if peeps are sleeping.
If we are talking about pick pockets and muggers they'll think twice about stealing or jumping a 6ft dude built like a tank. ( not saying they will never do it just less likely) Maybe that why I've never had a problem if u look like a little scared tourist ( as mentioned) gonna be easier prey and that goes in your home city and when you are traveling. The amount of my friends who have been beaten up by thugs\bullies in my home city is crazy and not once have I had an issue. Look bad ass if you can and don't have Hippy long hair, def good start :p
Reply to this its handy to be built like a tank
but there are still opportunitirs for thief to take stuff without confrontation which is the preferred way to steal something anyway.
again my only experience of this is south america but its really murhpys law their when it comes to losing stuff. tourists stand out, theres no way around it.
and the bus journeys are so darn long that you will find yourself asleep for hours.
one guy told me of a time when he slept on a bus in peru and a lady lay down in the aisle in the middle to sleep straight...or thats what he thaught at least. over time she managed to reach in under his seat and take stuff out of his bag as he slept. the act is so subtle and slow that she must have been sure he was asleep before attempting. and the likely thing of course is that she may have been getting off the bus before him..thus escaping before he had a chance to discover it was gone. another tactic is to pass the item to someone else immediatly after taking it.
another guy i met in colombia had come on a bus from cali to medellin overnight, during this 7 hour jorney the bus was pulled over for a police check.. anyone who has been to colombia has seen how heavily armed the police are there...everyone had to get off the bus while the police checked the bus possibly looking for contraband or who knows.... anyway some time after getting back on the bus ,the 3 guys realised their 3 cameras were no longer in the bags. the mistake there was to leave the bags on the bus of course. but they were drowsey after taking sleeping pills and welll... i guess they trusted the police. the other terrible mistake made by this guy was having left all of 3000 photographs of his entire trip to africa in the camera.. he was devistated.
so, though you may be totally right, a lot of people will avoid confrontation with a 6 foot tall guy. there are certain safeguards that one can take to minimise the damage should anything go missing.
sush as keeping online copies of your important data & documents. and backing up your photographs.
again i note your travelling europe so the south america storys are less relevant perhaps, but it shows how wierd stuff can just happen to people.
Reply to this .....take stuff without confrontation....
There are a lot of scams in some places. They are quite common in the less rich Asian countries.
I was almost a victim of one, last time I was in Thailand. It can happen quite easily, if you are not careful about absolutely everything there.
And there are the robberies from the luggage holds of night busses that are too common in Thailand......
We were also almost the vicitms of another scam in India when we were there at Christmas.
There is an almost endless list of Asian scam methods. Always sleep off the jet lag, before attempting to buy anything or do anything in certain countries. Being alert certainly helps prevent being scammed.
Reply to this Lagos in Nigeria and the Russian hackers, had a bit of experience with them both and not good! They are very good at what they do!
Reply to this I never visited Nigeria, but if I was to go by the number of email scam attempts I receive from people in Nigeria, I think Nigeria has to be at least one of the scam capitals of the world. I wonder how many members of internet sites fall for these scams. None, hopefully!
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