Charly Borra (26s)
A Pickpocket's Tale
61–70 of 71 posts
Re: A Pickpocket's Tale
#62Fascinating article! The one thing I've learned about pickpockets is not to let people get so close to you so that you are confused by all the "noisy" touches. That's how pickpockets work, either by getting large groups of kids to surround you and they start putting their hands in all your pockets (like what almost happened to me in Rome), or in crowded places like subways or tourist areas (like the Eiffel Tower). I'…
I am traveling a lot to places where pickpocketing is a regular occurrence (many parts of Africa, most of the time, but also South America and some parts of eastern Europe) and never had anything stolen from me. I attribute that to the (perceived?) fact that I am generally watchful and look at people alot. I never put anything valuable at easy to reach pockets and I am very watchful of my personal distance. My theory…
Yes you have. What have you lost? With the time you have spent traveling I bet you have been told a host of I-just-had-my-xxx-stolen stories. Low profile, care and humour seem to keep trouble at bay in a huge way.
I remember a particularly ugly moment when my wife realised that we were being eyed up by a group of pickpockets who were crowding around. It was either going to be pickpocketed or mugged. Knowing we had nothing on us, we kept joking with the guy who was supposedly distracting us, while we were subtly patted down. We left in a hurry as soon as the collectivo (dodgy van) stopped, exchanging goodbyes. I wouldn't have know I was being patted down except my wife observed it - I'm pretty sure that if we had made a fuss the result would have been very bad.
Edit: spelling
Re: A Pickpocket's Tale
#63Fascinating article! The one thing I've learned about pickpockets is not to let people get so close to you so that you are confused by all the "noisy" touches. That's how pickpockets work, either by getting large groups of kids to surround you and they start putting their hands in all your pockets (like what almost happened to me in Rome), or in crowded places like subways or tourist areas (like the Eiffel Tower). I'…
"whenever anyone gets close, my instinct is to put my hands on my pockets." Pickpockets love it when people do this, because it shows them which pockets your valuables are in. They also love the "WATCH FOR PICKPOCKETS" signs in tourist areas for the same reason: upon seeing those signs, people instinctively pat or check the pockets in which they store their valuables.
Quite right; I've heard that same warning before, and nowadays if I feel the urge to check my pockets, I check all of them in no particular order.
I've traveled extensively and never had my pocket picked -- a little planning goes a long way.
I don't flash valuables or any large amount of cash, I keep money separated into "using in the next few hours" in an accessible-but-somewhat-safe location (like deep in a front jeans pocket) vs. "needs to last until we find another ATM" someplace that's hard to access even for me, but I can still keep an eye on (e.g., not a backpack on my back: I imagine someone just slipping a blade down the side of a backpack, then just watching to see what falls out...).
Related: choose traveling companions who keep their wits about them, and who will keep an eye out for you (as you watch out for them).
It also probably helps that I'm tall and athletic -- I suspect many pickpockets would generally avoid people who might successfully chase them down after a bungled attempt.
Re: A Pickpocket's Tale
#64Strange the article is dated January 7, 2013. Did I miss something?
The date on a magazine is when it's supposed to come off the shelves, not when it's published.
Re: A Pickpocket's Tale
#65Bruce Schneier in 2011 about pickpocketting becoming less and less a problem in the U.S.: (one the guy in TFA is mentioned in Schneier's entry too) http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/03/pickpockets_ar... An interesting comment explain that pickpockets typically do not have their certification to hold weapons and prefer not to: when they get caught or pointed at (which happens all the time), they don't want to…
This doesn't seem especially plausible, or supported by the data on that page (eg a CCW permit holder observing that he considers his firearm virtually useless in that situation).
A more realistic explanation for not holding weapons is that there are significant additional penalties for any criminal arrested while carrying a firearm. Instead of a few months or a year in prison for simple theft, a person could be facing 5, 10, or even life.
Re: A Pickpocket's Tale
#66Thanks, great article! Pickpockets fascinate me. A recent hobby of mine has been to steal people's straws in drinks at parties (a way to practice without being arrested when you fail :-) )- it's a fascinating thing to do: you have to observe how people behave, how they react when you talk to them, when you point at something with one finger, etc. I recommend trying it.
God, I'm so glad people are pointing out that this is weird. You really shouldn't do this at parties, dude.
You don't know how protective someone is of their drink. Just because you might not mind if someone stole your straw does NOT mean that most people feel the same way. For many people, there is something very private about the drink they are holding.
Not only that, but the connotations of people who surreptitiously put their hand anywhere close to a drink at a party are NOT good connotations. I don't think these connotations need to be explained.
I don't mean to offend you, man. I rarely even comment on Hacker News. I'm just trying to help you understand why many people (I would say the majority) are extremely off put by this behavior. That said, I don't know what context you do this in. Friends are unlikely to hold a negative perception of this, but people you just met in a bar or party situation could hold dangerously negative perceptions of it.
p.s. I notice that you are French. I have no idea how my advice applies to French culture, so this may be a cultural difference. But in American culture, at least that of college age and older, I think most people will agree with this comment.
Re: A Pickpocket's Tale
#67There are some nice Apollo Robbins videos floating around on youtube. Like this one: [1] Also well worth watching is the work of Bob Arno.[2][3] [1] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pIU1uZlH-o [2] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1_BpNAeeX0 [3] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hboPd9GzJxg
Loved that second link! It's almost hard to believe that they didn't feel anything, though I don't doubt for a minute that it's legit
Re: A Pickpocket's Tale
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
Have you considered that you might be the strange one? You see somebody do something "weird", immediately categorize them, cut communication, and move on... That's a pretty small and boring world to live in. If I saw OP do his thing, I'd laugh and say "give me my straw back you weirdo", he'd explain and that would be that.
We all do that unconsciously. If you're like most people, you aren't strange.
You're going to parties with too many people if you're marking people as do-not-communicate at a second's notice. It's not like you're in public with hundreds around.
Re: A Pickpocket's Tale
#69Fascinating article! The one thing I've learned about pickpockets is not to let people get so close to you so that you are confused by all the "noisy" touches. That's how pickpockets work, either by getting large groups of kids to surround you and they start putting their hands in all your pockets (like what almost happened to me in Rome), or in crowded places like subways or tourist areas (like the Eiffel Tower). I'…
> I've conditioned myself to put all my things in my front pockets, My friend got his wallet stolen from his front pocket on his shirt. The pocket was buttoned down and he was also wearing a winter jacket on top of it as well. It happened in a crowded city bus. That is really just a goldmine for pickpockets. Well usually. It hasn't worked out for that particular group really as we managed to catch one of them (crowde…
Do you think he went back to being a pick pocket?
Re: A Pickpocket's Tale
#70Bruce Schneier in 2011 about pickpocketting becoming less and less a problem in the U.S.: (one the guy in TFA is mentioned in Schneier's entry too) http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/03/pickpockets_ar... An interesting comment explain that pickpockets typically do not have their certification to hold weapons and prefer not to: when they get caught or pointed at (which happens all the time), they don't want to…
>Long story short: pickpockets are more likely to steal in places where they're less likely to get shot or beaten should they get caught in the act.
If you really think it's guns, you could look by state; I mean, here in California, you get in pretty deep shit for shooting someone unless there is a very clear and immediate threat. Most places it's pretty important that you keep your gun completely concealed. You'd probably get in trouble for simply drawing your gun after you noticed you'd been pickpocketed. But in Texas? the definition of threat is, well, a whole lot broader.
But I doubt that's it. The way pick-pocketing works, from what I understand, the victim would pretty much have to shoot you in the back in a public place, and that's going to be trouble pretty much everywhere. And hell, even so, I'd rather run away from an untrained civilian with a gun than from an American cop; especially if the cop was going to put me in jail for any period of time if I was caught.
I'd argue that it probably has more to do with the socioeconomic situation. Europeans have racism codified into laws in ways that only the most fringe right-wing Americans would suggest. Many countries in Europe (I'm looking at you, France.) don't have 'by right of the soil' citizenship; to become French, you pretty much have to have French ancestry. (I mean, just like America, there are processes whereby lucky or well-off people can gain citizenship... but here in America? if you were born here, you are American. that's not true in France, or in much of Europe.)
It could also be enforcement, as Schneier suggested.