The theft of expensive watches has become the main misfortune of Italy in the current tourist season. The victims of the robbers were actors, athletes, businessmen, and tourists.
So, in June, a thief on a scooter through the open window of a taxi took a watch worth more than 30,000 euros from the hand of French actor Daniel Otoy. This method of theft is the most common – thieves hunt down the victim, catch up with her on a scooter or motorcycle, rob, and quickly disappear from the scene.
Another common method of theft is when tourists are attacked from behind, knocked down, and their watches are torn off their wrists. Sometimes strangers, posing as tourists, ask passers-by for directions, and during this time they steal money or valuables. Another trick more commonly used with older tourists is hugging, where intruders pretend to be old acquaintances, hugging and taking off their watches at the same time.
In addition to expensive watches, smartphones are most often stolen in Italy – they can also be snatched from the hands of thieves passing by. For example, in Naples, a tourist from Sweden was left without a phone: it was pulled out of her hands at the moment when she was broadcasting live.