Dangers Here

Home/Hazards/Pickpockets

Pickpockets: the distraction is the whole trick

Pickpocketing is a skill built entirely on managing your attention. The theft itself takes under a second; everything around it exists to put your eyes somewhere else. Knowing the handful of standard distractions is worth more than any anti-theft product.

  • 7High risk
  • 13Medium
  • 1Low
  • 21Zones tracked

The standard routines

The bump and apology on a crowded platform. The petition or clipboard pressed against your chest while a second pair of hands works beneath it. The spilled drink, ketchup or bird droppings, and the helpful stranger who cleans you up. The fallen coins, the baby thrust into your arms, the map held open in front of you. On escalators and at metro doors: a sudden stop in front while someone works behind. The dropped ring or gold chain "found" at your feet.

Where they work

Transport hubs, famous sights, markets, festivals and beaches — anywhere crowds are dense and distraction is normal. The zones we track are specific for that reason: Termini, Gare du Nord, Las Ramblas, the Prague Charles Bridge, the Mexico City metro, Oktoberfest. Being in one of these places is not dangerous; being absorbed in one of them is.

How to avoid it

  • Carry nothing valuable in a back pocket, and keep bags zipped, in front, and across your body.
  • Split your money and cards between two places, and leave one card in the hotel safe.
  • Treat any sudden contact, mess or commotion as a cue to touch your valuables immediately.
  • Keep your phone off the café table and out of your hand near the road — moped snatching is a separate trade.
  • Take a photo of your passport and cards so a loss is an inconvenience rather than a crisis.
  • Stay alert precisely when you are most absorbed: buying a ticket, taking a photo, boarding a train.

Where we track it

21 zones in the Dangers Here hazard database, by danger level.

High

  • Delhi — Transport Hubs
  • Marrakech — Medina
  • Mexico City — Metro
  • Paris — Gare du Nord
  • Rio Carnival (Sambadrome & Blocos)
  • Rio de Janeiro — Beaches
  • Rome — Termini Station

Medium

  • Athens — Tourist Districts
  • Bangkok — Grand Palace Area
  • Cairo — Pyramids Area
  • Cancún — Tourist Zones
  • Hanoi — Old Quarter
  • Istanbul — Bazaars & Sultanahmet
  • Las Ramblas, Barcelona
  • Lisbon — Tram Lines
  • London — Oxford Street
  • Oktoberfest (Theresienwiese), Munich
  • Paris Tourist Zones & Métro
  • Prague — Charles Bridge
  • Quiapo, Manila

Low

  • Hong Kong — Tourist Areas

Questions

Where are pickpockets a risk?

We track 21 zones for this hazard. 7 are rated high risk, including Delhi — Transport Hubs, Marrakech — Medina, Mexico City — Metro, Paris — Gare du Nord, Rio Carnival (Sambadrome & Blocos). 13 are rated medium and 1 low.

How do you avoid pickpockets?

Carry nothing valuable in a back pocket, and keep bags zipped, in front, and across your body. Split your money and cards between two places, and leave one card in the hotel safe. Treat any sudden contact, mess or commotion as a cue to touch your valuables immediately.

The standard routines

The bump and apology on a crowded platform. The petition or clipboard pressed against your chest while a second pair of hands works beneath it. The spilled drink, ketchup or bird droppings, and the helpful stranger who cleans you up. The fallen coins, the baby thrust into your arms, the map held open in front of you. On escalators and at metro doors: a sudden stop in front while someone works behind. The dropped ring or gold chain "found" at your feet.

Get the alerts on your phone

Dangers Here warns you when you enter a hazard zone — even offline, even with the app closed. No account, no tracking, free.

Get it on Google Play Get it on the App Store15 Oct

Other hazards