The Pickpocketer's Survival Guide

The First Attempt

My wife and I visited Italy to celebrate our thirtieth wedding anniversary. It was on my wife’s bucket list of places to visit, and it was on my bucket list, too, but not as high. So we planned our trip nine months in advance, researching all the top sites in Rome. We even got into arguments about visiting other sites in Italy. Should we drive along the Amalfi coast, plan an afternoon in Positano and enjoy the breathtaking sea view from a quaint family-run trattoria, or visit the well-preserved ruins of Pompeii? As fate would have it, my wife won, and we did it all, plus throw in a day trip to Florence into the mix.

We enjoyed our trips immensely up until our last full day in Rome. It was our anniversary that day, and it became the worst day of our trip. My wife fell victim to a pickpocket. It was an unusual day because, in three hours, we had three attempts made upon our group. Not surprisingly, it happened at a crowded subway train station in Termini.

Termini is near downtown, and many passengers switch train lines to see the various sites in Rome. And looking back, I will tell you what we did right and what we did wrong.

We were in a small group of five, and the train platform was very crowded. The train slowly approached the Termini station and stopped. Everyone crowded around the edges of the train door and left the center clear, allowing any exiting passenger a path to exit. As the last passenger exited, three small college-aged girls nudged out of nowhere and forced themselves before us. We politely tried to maneuver inside the train. We had already missed the last train because we couldn't get on it, we were far back, and many people were waiting for the train. It doesn’t help that it was in the morning, near the tail end of rush hour.

The first attempt was made by these three small girls who appeared to be college students. One of them was wearing a loose-fitting, pin-striped, long-sleeved jacket. The pinstriped gal had a scarf loosely wrapped around her left arm. I thought it odd that she would wear such a dark jacket on a hot, sunny day. I said to myself, she probably would regret wearing it. I thought it also odd that she had a dark shawl wrapped around her arm; I couldn’t see her hand.

I scanned around, and a tall gentleman with wire-framed glasses made eye contact and mimed with his two fingers like Robert DeNiro. “I am watching you,” he said, pointing to an overweight red-headed girl to my left. he gestured to me to watch out for that one because she was a thief. The curly, redheaded girl wearing a backpack was oblivious to his warning and was looking down and facing the subway door. My wife was to my right, and the girl with the pin-stripped jacket was beside her. I checked on the redheaded girl, but something inside me told me to watch everyone around me. Also, none of the other subway passengers took notice of the gentleman’s warning, as if everyone around me were oblivious to his warning. For whatever reason, the situation was out of place and surreal. I was dumbfounded that no one took his warning seriously. I grew more suspicious of my surroundings. I trusted no one on that train. I also checked on my wife frequently, making sure she was alright. I also habitually brushed my back pocket containing my second wallet, ensuring it was still there. This second wallet was a decoy wallet with only twenty Euros, no credit cards, and no IDs. My real wallet lay in a hidden shirt pocket secured with a zipper.

As I stood over the girl wearing the pin-striped jacket, I noticed her hand emerging from her scarfed-wrapped sleeve, hovering over the zipper of my wife’s purse. I am very tall, and I have a bird' s-eye view. However, I realized that the fluffy scarf was used to block my wife’s view of her attempt to pickpocket. Before I could say anything, my wife grabbed her purse, looked straight at her, and said sternly, “ What are you doing?”

She smiled and said in broken English, “ I’m sorry.” It was a tense minute after that. Realizing that she was a pickpocket, I placed my back and leaned against the train door, making it inaccessible for anyone to grab my decoy wallet. I stood like a colossus before the train exit. The three girls were maneuvering to exit the train at the next stop. The red-headed girl said, “Excuse me.” I ignored her and stood firm my ground. Again, she asked me to stand aside and said, “Excuse me.” I ignored her and looked straight at the girl in the black pin-stripped jacket. The girls were becoming tense and rigid. The train roared onto the next train platform and slowed to a sudden stop. I stepped aside just before the doors opened. And the three girls scurried away. The first attempt was foiled. The man in the wire-rimmed glasses had also disappeared from the train.

We were shaken up but thankful that we survived the first attempt unscathed. So we waited three stops and exited the train station at The Trevi Fountain stop. We visited the Trevi fountain and proceeded back to the train station. We entered the train station to go back to our hotel. It required us to retrace our path along two train lines and change trains at the Termini station. I thought that we wouldn’t encounter pickpockets again. I spoke too soon, as you shall read.

The Second Attempt

The second pickpocket attempt occurred as we boarded the train. It was crowded but not jam-packed, with everyone pushing from all sides. As we entered, my friend Angelo was ahead of me. Another elderly man walked behind him, and I followed next. The man looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties. The subway doors thundered like cement blocks crashing onto the floor as they shut behind me. I can see why the cartoon warnings not to allow any part of your body to be trapped between the doors were heavily plastered on every train door. Those subway doors shut like the jaws of a Great White Shark.

The train jolted and slowly began to exit the subway station. Angelo was wearing baggy cargo shorts. Unfortunately, Angelo’s thick trifold wallet was heavily laden in the front pants pocket, causing it to sag with a gaping opening. The elderly man was in an all-tan outfit with a long-sleeved tan jacket. Again, I thought it odd that anyone would wear a jacket on such a hot day in June. I had finished two water bottles that afternoon, a rip-off at two Euros a bottle.

The man’s hand slowly hovered over my friend’s front pocket. His hand floated over the gapping opening like a drone, slowly inching into my friend’s front pocket. I stared, not thinking much of it, but his long fingers started slipping into my friend’s front pocket. I yelled, “Angelo!” I brushed the man’s hand away from my friend’s pocket and beamed a cold-hard stare at the beige-clad thief.

The man slowly shuffled through the crowd away from us, not making eye contact, and went to the opposite subway doors. The train began to slow down, the doors opened with thunder and a clad, and the elderly man quickly exited onto the subway platform amongst the crowd. The second attempt was foiled. Having two attempts so close to each other was a lousy coincidence. I realized that Rome was a city of Scorpions.

‘Third Time’s a Charm’

We exited one train line and navigated the unfamiliar subway tunnel to find the next train line. As the crowd scurried from the train platform, we followed like a litter of lost kittens, second-guessing our every step. In all honesty, we looked like lost tourists. Eventually, we reached our next train line and were waiting at the subway platform for our train to take us to our hotel. The Digital marquee displayed that our train was four minutes away. I looked around, and the platform was busy but not super crowded. The time passed, and we walked down the platform to an area with fewer people congregating. As the train entered the subway station, we stood around, where we had presumed the train doors would stop. A crowd appeared around us as the train stopped and the doors thundered open. my friends and wife entered, but I could not. I was separated from my party. The people stayed by the door and wouldn’t move in to allow me to enter. I was blocked. I panicked, scurried to the next cabin, and entered the train.

The doors closed behind me. The train started to roll. Our exit was three stops down, and I quickly got out. I heard my friend’s wife say.

“I felt someone touching my purse, and I immediately shifted my purse to the other side and put my hand over the zipper.”

“I saw someone going for your George’s backpack. He was very close, hovering over the zipper on the outer pouch.” My wife continued. “I was watching George’s back.”

Katie tells my wife,” Check your purse to ensure everything is alright.”

My wife opened her purse and noticed the zipper opened. “Oh no, I had clasped my zipper shut.” She quickly searched the contents of her purse. Her wallet was missing. Her face grew frantic as she searched every zippered compartment. She frantically searched a second time. Her wallet was gone.

I immediately knew which credit card she had with her; I even had a screenshot of both sides of the cards she took on our trip to Rome. I ensured her set of credit cards was different from mine. Many bank credit cards will cancel the companion credit card whenever one credit card is lost. I immediately went to my mobile app and reported each stolen credit card within ten minutes of the theft.

As I completed reporting all her stolen credit cards, I received a notification from one of the bank vendors that ‘there was unusual activity reported’ on one of her credit cards. I called the international toll-free number on the back of her credit card, which is shown in the screenshot I saved.

Within twenty minutes, two attempts at cash advances on one credit card were made. One was in the amount of 1000 Euros and the second was for 7000 Euros. My jaw dropped. I said to myself, “Those sons of bit#@^s!” Luckily, my bank denied both transactions. Before leaving for Italy, I set our cards' cash advance and credit limit to the minimum threshold. I should have canceled the cash advance option on all our credit cards while on vacation.

Pickpockets work in Groups.

Looking back at the pickpocketers' first attempt, I see a few points to be made. Pickpockets work in groups. They are organized and well-dressed. The pickpocket wears jackets with long, loose sleeves. Many passengers on the train were wearing short-sleeved T-shirts and tank tops. Anyone overdressed for the weather is a pickpocket until proven otherwise. Also, whenever there is a sudden surge of people around you, be forewarned that it's a pack of hyenas hovering over their next victim. Pickpockets are well dressed, in this case, three college students. But the man with the Robert DeNiro “I am watching you” warning was in his forties, well-groomed in a short-sleeved shirt. He looked like a bank teller or an accountant. Thank God I didn’t follow his suggestion, focusing on the red-headed decoy and ignoring my wife and the pin-stripped brunette.

Avoid the Subway

Book your hotel near the sites you want to visit. Walking from your hotel to the site is safer than taking the subway. Next time, I will use a taxi or Uber if I have to travel a fair distance. Crowded train stations make tourists easy targets. We are the ones that dilly-dally at the train ticket kiosk, trying to decipher the type of train tickets to purchase. We talk instinctively in our native language, giving pickpocketers tell-tale signs that we are foreigners. And, of course, we take out our wallets to pay the kiosk machine and show everyone in the train station where we have placed our wallets. I would not be surprised if a pickpocket was outside the train station turnstile entrance, watching our every move and noting where we placed our wallets. And don’t assume that the person with earbuds is listening to music; they may be communicating with pickpockets below. Details on what you are wearing, how many were at your party, and where you stashed your wallet after paying at the kiosk are all communicated to the pickpockets waiting for you on the subway platform below.

Pickpockets, once onboard, will stay close to the exit doors once they board. They will not move to the middle of the train. And they are off the train at the very next stop. Quick kill and gone. They make their attempt at pickpocketing once the train doors close. They always exit at the next stop to quickly get away with the stolen wallet and are ready to seek out another victim on their way back.

They often work in pairs or trios to pass off the wallet, so if they are chased and finally caught by the victim or police, the evidence is not found on them. Unfortunately, tourists are easy targets; we are unfamiliar with their legal system and language and will be leaving the country soon. Pickpockets have easy victims without any repercussions.

Pickpocketers are also not brazen if there are police around. Often, there are police at subway platforms to deter theft. So, if you see police on a platform, note that this subway route has had frequent episodes of theft.

Be mindful that bus and train terminals are also prime areas where pickpockets lurk. One ploy happened to an Uncle of mine at the Athens International Airport. A young man feigned to help my elderly Uncle. My Uncle, at first, politely refused but then sternly refused. The young man kept loading the luggage onto the luggage cart. My uncle was elderly but very capable of handling his luggage. A few seconds later, my uncle realized his wallet was missing and screamed like a madman that his wallet was stolen. The gentleman who offered to help him had vanished. My uncle had two hours before his flight left for the United States. He couldn’t miss his flight. He had no time to file a police report. He doesn’t know if the young lad or an unknown accomplice lifted his wallet. He begrudgingly walked to the airline counter and then to the gate….without his wallet, without filing a report. Don’t let your guard down.

Personal Photo by Author

Don’t Dress As A Tourist; Don’t Be Loud As A Tourist

One of the tell-tale signs of a tourist is short pants. Try to avoid them, especially in crowded urban areas. They are fine if you are in the country or at a private resort. Also, I see many tourists overseas wearing hats and T-shirts monogrammed with their hometeam logo; it is a sure giveaway that you are a tourist. Be safe; don’t bring it with you on vacation. Also, be mindful of your footwear; the mantra when traveling is to wear comfortable shoes. But I see so many tourists wearing hiking or fisherman sandals in Italy, a country that prides itself on fine leather footwear; it screams tourists. Avoid bulky strap sandals; wear comfortable gym shoes instead.

Travel Purses and Wallets

For the ladies, I recommend investing in a travel purse. These purses have secure clasps on the zippers. Be forewarned that the clasp is not a significant impediment for the pickpocket; he can steal your wallet from your purse. It just adds an extra step and makes it longer for the thief to retrieve your wallet. These purses have a hidden wire in the purse strap that makes it difficult for a pickpocket to cut the strap and run away with your purse. Many travel purses are NFC (Near Field Communication) proof. A thief cannot bring a mobile device to your phone or wallet and steal your financial data. Everyone should have a NFC safe wallet and purse.

I see many ladies, including my wife, overstuff their purses. An overstuffed purse causes increased tension in its body and makes a zippered purse much easier to unzip.

The best thing to do is keep your hand over the zipper of your purse. If your hand is on your purse, it is difficult for anyone to open it. Always do this in a crowded area, like on the subway or at a crosswalk waiting to cross. Also, if you are standing in a crowd, shift the side of your purse. Be suspicious if someone around you moves after you shift your purse.

Front Pockets

Gentlemen, don’t assume that your front pocket is the safest place for your wallet; pickpockets are very adept and can easily steal your wallet from any pant pocket. Your wallet is not safe in any pocket. Avoid baggy pants. I recommend deep pockets with a button or zipper. Invest in a pair of pants with hidden pockets and zippers when traveling. One brand of travel pants is designed with tiny magnet flaps that prevent the pocket from gaping. Lay a crumpled tissue or a rolled-up USB charging cable above your wallet. I carry a dummy wallet without IDs or credit cards and place a small number of bills, not more than ten or twenty Euros, for discretionary items I may purchase, like a cup of coffee and sandwich, subway fares, or cold bottled water. If they stole this wallet, I couldn't care less. My vacation isn’t ruined, and I am not stressed by it.

Carabiner Clips

I recommend buying a pair of carabiner clips for your backpacks and purses. Using the carabiner clip at a restaurant or park deters anyone from stealing your belongings. Clip the strap of your bag or purse to the back of the chair or on your person. If anyone tries to lift your bag, it will be attached, and you will be alerted when it happens.

Invest in Wardrobe with Secure Pockets

Many clothing items have hidden zippered pockets or hidden deep pockets. These are great outerwear for travel. When traveling, I wear shirts with hidden zipper pockets that can easily fit my wallet; I love shirts with two large breast pockets that I can easily slip in and out my passport and airline tickets. I keep my plugin charger, cable, and earbuds in the other pocket.

I love to wear pants with one or two hidden zipper pockets. Pickpockets are adept at retrieving wallets from either the front or back pocket. To make it more difficult, stash your wallet in a deeper pocket or hidden pocket; if the pocket has a zipper, that’s even better. But don’t lull yourself that you are safe and your wallet has become pick-pocket-proof. It adds an extra step and a few seconds for the pick-pocket to steal your wallet. If they are determined, they will try multiple times to get your wallet if they think their rewards will be great.

Fanny Packs, Neck Pouches, and Money Belts

Fanny packs may lull you into a false sense of security. Pickpockets can easily open them. All they need is a tight space and a distraction. Hidden neck pouches and money belts that accommodate wallets and passports are safer alternatives. I love these items because they can be tucked underneath a shirt and are out of sight.

Rome is a Pickpocket's paradise. But pickpocketing has gotten worse everywhere since the pandemic. The post-pandemic travel boom has made pickpocketing thrive. The more cheese out there, the more rats will come. You need to prepare for multiple attempts. Stay vigilant. I recommend that you travel with one or two couples. This way, you have a buddy system where everyone watches over everyone else. Keep cash and a few credit cards hidden in a travel pouch or money belt. Use a dummy wallet and carry a nominal amount of cash; no ID, no credit cards. If it gets stolen, no big deal.

The Art of the Decoy

I would not be surprised that the Italian gentleman with the wired-rimmed glasses who “warned” me to keep an eye on the red-haired girl was trying to divert my attention from the pinstriped girl attempting to steal my wife’s wallet from her purse.

Pickpocketers can distract you in a million different ways. A beautiful woman with a low-cut top feigns losing her balance and bumps you; then she says, “I’m sorry,” with a cute smile; your wallet is gone by her friend standing next to you. Or it is a loud passenger screaming on her cell phone, talking in Italian, then you discern a few cuss words in English, and your ears instinctively perk up. While you stare at the loud caller halfway across from you, you notice a slight touch along your left front pocket; you turn, and there is a foreign hand in the mouth of your front trouser pocket. Anything that takes your mind off your purse or wallet for a few seconds is all that is needed. Be mindful of distractions and stay cognisant of your environment.

The Buddy System

You watch my back while I watch yours. When traveling, it is harder for a pickpocket to pull off a heist with two sets of eyes on them. Be vigilant of your surroundings and your travel companion’s environment, too. Also, look for people distracting your buddy, who is supposed to be watching you. That may be the first clue that you are being pickpocketed.