[Idyllchat] Thievery in Rome/Elsewhere

[Anne Friedman]

I remember the gypsies/beggars in Rome when i went as a student 20 years
ago; they were pretty aggressive then and i'm sure it's the same if not
worse. Especially when you look more prosperous than i probably did at the
time..!

Wanted to share a very clever thief's technique that happened to my father a
couple of years ago.  Not in Rome but in Barcelona. my father is a very
seasoned traveler but still got taken without knowing it. The thief walked
behind us and squirted something on my dad's shirt. then approached him,
telling him a bird had made a deposit on his shirt, and could he help him
clean it off. in the moments while he was being so helpful and wiping the
'bird poop' off my dad's shirt, his wallet was easily taken. We didn't even
notice his wallet/passport was gone until about 5 minutes later. We were
thanking the man as he walked away.!  That was the last time my dad had
everything in one pocket.  If he hadn't had me with him as a family member
to vouch for his identity as the embassy, things could have been fairly
complicated...!

Anne Friedman
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