2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on May 26, 2021 17:28:08 GMT
When using the tube I used to always use an Oyster card but more recently have been using my contactless debit card or my phone. However I think next time I go I’ll dig out my old Oyster card. I’ve never been completely happy getting my phone/debit card out in a crowded tube station. Thankfully, I’ve only ever had my pockets picked once, in Spain, and I didn’t even notice till I went to pay for something later and my purse was gone! I just remember feeling a bit crowded for a sec like someone was too close to me in a shop and that must have been when it was taken. Fortunately my phone wasn’t taken and I was able to cancel everything on the apps Yeah for that reason I was never keen on using my actual card or phone and used an oyster even though it might not have been so cost effective, also all that in out increases chance of dropping it. Re pockets, bit different now with more outdoors pocket crazy coats but tend to find women's coat don't have inside pockets which is a pain. Phone used to fit into some trouser pockets but now too big. I worry about having a rucksack on especially where you have a small pocket on it where you're most likely to put your phone or wallet and people just helping themselves without you even noticing. |
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2021 18:59:47 GMT
I was once in London walking down the street talking on my phone to my Mum and she chastised me for using my phone on the street as I was bound to get it stolen! I rolled my eyes at her but it seems she had a point! I was thinking last night that I'd take my posh expensive bag when I (hopefully!) go to London for the day in July but on reflection, I daren't! People walk around London with super expensive bags, you’ll be fine. The gangs aren’t looking to steal them. And for pickpockets, they have low resale value and if the stealer gets caught they are hard to just throw away. Central London, I had a bag stolen from the back of my chair in a restaurant about ten years ago, but it’s much less common than gangs taking phones and pickpockets outside tube stations. |
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2021 19:01:06 GMT
The easiest place to steal a phone is outside a tube station. As people leave tube stations the first thing they do is get their phone out to check messages etc and the thieves are waiting. That is similar to the observation that when they put up signs in places saying "Warning pickpockets operating in this area" it actually increases crime in that area because when people read the sign they tend to automatically without thinking tap or feel the pocket or bag they have their purse or wallet in so then the thieves know exactly where it is. This is petrifying and illuminating in equal measure, and it makes such horrible sense. |
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1,127 posts
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Post by samuelwhiskers on May 26, 2021 19:46:00 GMT
Weirdly, the only place I’ve ever been pickpocketed was in Harrods.
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Post by sfsusan on May 26, 2021 20:15:09 GMT
Before a visit to Rome decades ago, I'd read all the warnings about the tram, pickpockets, etc. My husband and I went to the Spanish Steps and on the way, I gave him all the things to look for... the mustard splat, the gangs of underage kids, the fake baby thrust into your arms, the sign shoved under your face to block your view of your pockets...
Literally 5 minutes later, I've walked away to take a picture, I turn back, and there's my poor husband surrounded by half a dozen children shoving a cardboard sign under his face! I descend on them screaming bloody murder, they scatter and my husband is looking at me like I've lost my mind. "Remember that conversation we just had about pickpockets?!!" "Oh, yeah... is that what they were doing?"
We stood at the top of the Steps for the next half hour, watching the kids pick victims. The locals would beat the kids away with umbrellas, so that was fun.
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on May 26, 2021 20:23:27 GMT
Wow it's scary out there isn't it. I feel very not savy about all this and the need to run out and tell people to be aware and alert at all times.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2021 20:49:31 GMT
I've only been mugged once, and that was on the underground in Berlin when I was surrounded by a bunch of teenagers when I was trying to pay at the ticket machine.
Luckily on holiday I only carry a tiny purse I can clench in my fist and managed to grab it tightly enough that all they got was a 20 euro note, which wasn't even all the cash I had, and none of my cards or any other valuables (I had zipped up my bag and the zip was under my arm).
So no great harm done, but I was furious and felt violated. And no-one else on the platform batted an eyelid.
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336 posts
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Post by Roxie on May 26, 2021 21:49:10 GMT
Pre pandemic, I used to go to London 2 weeks before Christmas, just for the day to finish my Christmas shopping. Walking round London and and going on and off trains with loads of bags is a pain so I decided on a backpack. However I was worried it was easy to steal from being on my back, so I got a padlock for it and used a bumbag (I know!) for all my valuables, phone etc. It worked pretty well, but I did get the occasional odd look from a cashier when I was unlocking my padlock on my backpack on the till!! In all my travels and a lot of them solo trips to all corners of the world, I've only ever been robbed in Spain! I think someone tried in New York once, but I looked at him and caught him quickly stepping back. It's just being hyper aware of your personal space, but its easy to let your guard down and that's when they get you unfortunately.
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19,787 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 27, 2021 5:36:58 GMT
I’m completely paranoid about backpacks. They seem like an invitation for people to just dip in and steal literally behind your back. There used to be a style that had a single diagonal strap where you could spin the pouch round to your front but you don’t see them much these days.
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Post by isabel on May 27, 2021 8:21:36 GMT
I’m guilty of using Googlemaps walking down the street holding the phone Infront of me.
Whenever I see people walking along the pavement wearing headphones it makes me cringe, so dangerous not being able to hear what’s behind you
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5,159 posts
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Post by TallPaul on May 27, 2021 9:22:24 GMT
If I'm talking a trip to that London, I always try and remember to wear a shirt with a breast pocket, in which I carry my zero credit Oyster card, train tickets, non-contactless debit card and a £5 note, all within a gratis TfL travel wallet. That's it.
And unless it's forecast to be an absolute scorcher of a day from beginning to end, I'll also have, as a minimum, a very stylish jumper with me, providing an extra layer, literally, of protection.
If I need to know the time, I look at my £4.99 Casio watch.
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