[Idyllchat] Thievery in Rome

[Russell Crum]

Take Rick Steves' advice (and others on this listserv) seriously at  
all major tourist attractions in Europe. We have never lost anything  
but have had two attempts. One was a very bold group pushing, shoving  
and yelling as we were boarding the metro in Prague. It was much like  
some of the RS description. Another were two quite young women  
working in tandem in Arles, France.  One man with our tour group in  
Rome had someone put their hand into his pants pocket just after he  
took his own hand out as the bus he was on came to his stop!  
Fortunately, his pocket was empty, but what a surprise!

Follow Rick's advice and keep everything of value in a money belt or  
neck pouch under your clothes. Pants with deep, zippered inside  
pockets are good for money for day needs, but nothing more. In  
general purses are a big attraction for the grab and run type of theft.

Don't trust hotel rooms either! My sister was with a tour group in  
Europe a couple years ago when a number of people had money stolen  
from their hotel rooms while they were at a group dinner. All of the  
people had left money "hidden" in their suitcases in their rooms.

Our practice is to keep all money, credit cards, passports, ATM  
cards, etc. with us at all times secured under our clothes.  The  
philosophy is if everything in our hotel room disappeared, we could  
still get along OK.

Russ


On Jan 13, 2008, at 21:52 , kegonsalund wrote:

> Rick Steves’ Italy 2008 warns about the theft via pickpockets (kids  
> in a group with an adult handler nearby; i.e. Coliseum, busses,  
> trains), purse snatchers (either the grab and run variety, or the  
> Vespa Mounties).
>
>
>
> Is he overdoing the warnings? What have been others experience in  
> Rome?
>
>
>
> Don Lund
>
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