Good intentions often turn into problems for tourists – from this warning, American Rebecca Baldwin from the United States gives advice on the social network questions and answers Quora, answering questions about how tourists risk attracting pickpockets. Unexpectedly, but the most dangerous sign, seeing which tourists “begin to signal that they are robbed” is… sign “Caution, pickpockets.”
“They can often be seen at metro stations in big cities such as Paris and London, as well as in the most visited places. When tourists see these signs, they almost instinctively stop and check their valuables – money, credit cards, passport, touching their pants, coat pockets or purse. In doing so, they do not understand what they actually told their pickpockets and other thieves where their valuables are, ”the tourist said.
As a result, the first life she voices is to ignore such signs and not exactly check whether money and things are in place in crowded places or in the subway. She also recommends keeping some of the money in “unusual places”.
The second common mistake is to wear expensive jewelry in the crowd, for example, when sightseeing. “It’s just silly, and it’s too easy to rip a beautiful necklace off your neck. You should not wear expensive jewelry for the tour. And in the evenings at the hotel, many even wealthy people wear replicas of jewelry, “she said.
The third life hack is not to succumb to the typical tricks of fraudsters. Among them are such as:
- “Dirty shirt”: some dirty substance, such as artificial bird droppings or mustard, “stains” the tourist’s shirt, and while the “useful stranger” who drew his attention to the trouble, tries to clean it, his divider cleans the tourist’s pocket. The “golden ring” is a “lost wallet”: one of the swindlers stops a tourist, saying “you missed something”, and shows a “golden” ring or wallet. And while the tourist is distracted, they will try to take his real wallet out of his pocket, or the “owner” of the thing will demand compensation.
- “Something’s wrong with your car!” – recipe for “diluting” the motorist. A car stops nearby and the driver indicates that something is seriously wrong with the back of your car. If you stop immediately and go to inspect the problem, the accomplice can pull things out of the front seat – or even steal the car.
- Tourists are also warned that in popular tourist destinations, such as Paris, thieves often disguise themselves as tourists and wait in the lobby for those carefree people who leave their luggage and personal belongings unattended. It is not recommended to do this – as well as to say your room number aloud.