Police Report - pickpocket in Vienna

Sorry this happened to you.

No offense intended, but...honestly, if it really was pinched by a pickpocket, is there anything that will really be accomplished by filing a police report?

If you really have some need to file a police report (insurance?) you might try this: find a German-speaking friend, go online and see if you can find a place on the Vienna city police website for doing an online report - but don't expect much follow-up.

Unless you just left it somewhere (hotel, restaurant, etc.) and it was "turned in" and is waiting for you in the lost & found box (thats possible, but the police are not going to get it back for you, you would need to contact the place you left it)...you are not going to get it back by notifying the police there.

Yes, it sucks when someone steals your things. But police everywhere usually have bigger issues they're juggling. In my home city (Seattle) the police do not respond to most property crimes (including home break-ins, car thefts, and more). If you want to report it, you can go online and fill out a form, but (at least where I live) that's usually the end of it.

If it were me, I'd chalk it up to a lesson learned - take care of your things, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Look at it this way: while it feels bad to have someone steal from you, this was a relatively inexpensive lesson, and it could've been a lot worse: they didn't get your money belt filled with cash and credit cards, your passport or a high-end camera or laptop. And of course, you weren't mugged, everybody's OK (I hope).

If you are still in Austria, I would contact the local police to see what is possible.

Do you have the ID number for the device; was your ID somehow permanently affixed to it? If not there may be no useful purpose to making a report. The deductible on you Homeowner insurance is likely higher than the cost of the device, so having a police report for that purpose may not apply.

Sorry to hear about the loss

Hopefully your Easter week in Rome was all you had hoped for.

I need the police report for the insurance claim. I would appreciate any info concerning the insurance requirement and what to do if you can't get a police report. Anyone out there gone through this and can give me some tips on what I might do with the insurance company?

Joe in Edmonds raised a valid question above: what is the cost of the item that you lost, and what (if any) is the "deductible" on your insurance policy? I'd figure that out before I invested any time in trying to find an online form (in German).

I don't know about every Kindle device, but I recall them not being super-expensive. A quick Google search suggests to me that a new one might cost you anywhere between a low of $50 and topping out around $280. It's very possible that the cost to replace it would be less than your policy's deductible.

As stated upthread, you might be able to fill out a "police report" form online, but I'd expect it's probably going to be all in German. If your German language skills are not good, you're going to need some help with that (even finding it).

Nobody here can tell you the details about your insurance policy. You should contact them (your insurance company) and ask 1) is this kind of loss covered?; 2) what's your deductible?; 3) exactly what they need to file a claim; and 4) what are your options are in case you can't easily get the paperwork they want.

Those things will give you a pretty good idea of whether or not it's worth the trouble of trying to file a police report (if you can).

Don't be completely shocked if it turns out that this is just not a thing your insurance can help you with.

Also there's the time cost of using your precious vacation time to deal with this stuff, which is also worth $. I can understand why an insurance company would need verification that a theft occurred, the makes sense to me even though it will be a pain to accomplish.

I think that it’s always worth it to attempt to file a police report, although maybe very difficult once you leave the locality. We filed one last summer when my husband’s wallet was stolen in Rome. (We gave up an afternoon of sightseeing to file the report, but it was a memorable cultural experience in itself!) While we never filed an insurance claim because the $200 deductible was more than the value of the wallet and they wouldn’t cover the cash loss, we did get the wallet back with all of the ID in it (no cash) when it was later turned into the police station. We were notified by email that they had the wallet and we had a courier service pick it up and mail it to us in the states. If you can locate a phone number, perhaps call the insurance company to see how much is covered by your policy. As pointed out in an earlier response, the amount you’d get might not be worth your trouble. In our case, getting the ID back was worth filing the police report, and while the wallet was old, my husband really liked it and was happy to get it back.

I would also consider the impact on your insurance premiums. I'm surprised to hear that Seattle police do not respond to home break-ins or car thefts. Is this typical across the country? I suppose the police in my metropolitan Detroit community provided good service when I saw a car hit and run over my neighbor's mailbox. They actually responded and based on my description they found the vehicle and it's owner hiding in the subdivision.

FWIW, I had a card skimmed on one trip and wallet stolen on another. In both cases, I filed a report with my local authorities for insurance/bank purposes. You already know you're not getting it back, so it's just a matter of documenting the theft.

I'm sorry for your loss - looking for it and not finding it is a not nice feeling.

I'd really hoped that we would hear back from you after your trip so we can hear how all the adventures with your big sis went - how the bus was - how good seats you were able to get at the Vatican - how much your sis was able to keep up - special things you saw - food adventures.

Instead it is a sad story. Sorry.

Perhaps when you get over your loss you could fill us in?

Hi,

If this had happened to me, I would get back into Austria and go to a police station in a city/town to file a police report. What good is that? For statistical purposes. Maybe you might have go back to Vienna, I don't know. If you're still in Austria, try there first to obtain their advice or suggestion.

In Germany a few years ago, I had my flip cell phone stolen on the ICE train in 1st class (should have known about that risk in 1st class), went to a small town, talked to the police, ie, made a report, showed them my passport, told them where it happened, how in terms of possibilities, when, etc, etc,

I didn't have insurance, could get by without the cell phone for the rest of the trip, and figured it was gone anyway. They were very helpful, in the end I signed a paper that summarized what had happened.

I reported a pickpocketing in Veliko Trnovo, Bulgaria, because it was the sort of small city where crime seemed very uncommon, and I thought the authorities would want to know they had a fairly professional pair of thieves at work. They took my report very seriously indeed, calling in an interpreter and taking me back to where the theft occurred to see whether there were any street cameras nearby (no). They also spoke to the shopkeeper where I made my last purchase, to see whether she had observed anything. I was extremely impressed by the police response, but the process cost me several hours that most tourists would have had a hard time sparing.

I wouldn't have bothered filing a report in a larger city where I expected street crime to be more common.

I didn't file a claim with my insurance company because my loss was less than my deductible. I, too, wonder whether reporting the theft might have done undesirable things to my insurance rate.

Hi gracialynne,

Since you have a Kindle, have you called Amazon to alert them? Maybe they can lock it down or disable it for you.

Deregister it asap: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201755180

It's a shame that put a damper on your trip.

In Rome, a pickpocket got my really old iPod (before they had wifi) at the entrance to Saint Peter’s Basilica. Guess he wasn’t religious. Didn’t file a report since he only got music and some movies.

I lost an Amazon Kindle a few months ago somewhere between the plane and when I discovered I no longer had it later that evening. Not sure if I was just careless or if it was pickpocketed, but Amazon was really helpful. They were able to disable my device remotely such that it would not be able to be used by anyone else. If I had found it then they could have reactivated it for me, but me only. That will keep your credit card safe in the case you have it linked to your account. Sorry for your misfortune!

Thanks, everyone. so sad it had photos on it. Stolen near Stephensplatz which is prime pickpocket domain according to Vienna police employee I chatted with on phone. Was watching luggage so sis could walk around and sightsee. Took off jackets and backpack as I was too warm with all that on. There was WiFi so decided to use down time to make a fb travel post.should have known trouble when man bounced on tobench next to me, s little too close. I watched my stuff closely but he somehow still succeeded. I now recall that .oment. I felt something and looked but saw nothing. He was skilled. I am pretty sure my pocket was zipped, even. I should have moved but there were no other benches and he knew that... Awesome that Amazon is so helpful! Thanks for that info!

Another sad thing is that I did not remember the pickpocket the first two hours after I discovered it missing. I was busy retracing my steps, trying to call places to see whether I might have left it somewhere. It caused me to miss out on the beautiful scenery en route to Prague, and it was a gorgeous, sunny day. I had been so excited about that trip to Prague when it first began, but just moments later I discovered the missing Kindle which had my travel photos on it. Like you say, a terrible feeling when something is not in your travel jacket's pocket a travel jacket's is no good unless you keep it on at all times, I have learned. Haha.

Hi gracialynne,

Sometimes, it's good to go with our initial feeling. Unfortunately, the man had ill intentions; saw you as vulnerable and was quick on the draw. When a person realizes they've been a subject of theft, their mind goes into a tizzy. After a calming period, as you experienced, you were able to identify the possible occurrences and activity leading up to and including the theft.

The Kindle was in your jacket pocket? It must have been visible. A kindle is small but not that small, so I'm not clear on how it was in your travel jacket pocket.

I hope you contacted Amazon right away to deregister your account. Do you have a 'lock' password on your Kindle?

Also, if you stored your photos on Amazon Kindle Cloud, they are saved. You can retrieve them when you get home. Or, if you are able to check your Amazon account either through your sis' device or through a secured device at your hotel, you can check to see if the pics are there.

Thanks for the info. I don't think I thought to save my pics on that Kindle to the cloud, sadly. Yes, the stolen Kindle has been disabled. My travel jacket has big pockets inside it that I keep zipped. The one my Kindle was stolen from also had my cell phone and a note pad of paper in it. It is not a see through pocket. Another non see-through pocket contained my binoculars and passport and money. I tried to report the crime to the Prague police, thinking they could help me get in touch with the Vienna police, since it happened in Vienna, but the Prague police said they couldn't help me at all. They asked me the value of the Kindle, though, and I got the feeling they thought I was making it all up, not a good experience. One nice policeman in Prague did say, "So sorry," though, to me in a compassionate tone of voice. Another, whose English was poor, accused me of having said the crime occurred in Prague and later having changed my story to Vienna. I was afraid he was going to throw me in jail. LOL. He had misunderstood. It is helpful to speak the language of areas in which one travels to prevent these kinds of problems.

Hi gracialynne,

Wow, lol, that must be some jacket to be able to store a lot of your devices in the pockets.

Well, you did what you could. It's unfortunate it put a damper on your trip. The perp saw an opportunity and took it. Don't kick yourself too much. He was the dishonest one who should be ashamed - no conscience obviously.

As you mentioned, he got a little too close. Maybe your pockets were not see-through, but somehow, the outline peaked his interest. It can be dissected forever as to how he zeroed in on it. He got lucky.

You stated your phone, money, passport and binocs were not touched < thank goodness. Replacing money and passport is a much worse headache.

It was nice of the first police officer to show compassion and understanding of your fret. The second one? geesh, Must have been having a bad day. In reality, there was nothing either of them could do to get your Kindle back. If your Kindle could be claimed under an insurance policy, then that's where the police report would help.

Bad luck that this happened to you. According to the police most thefts happen in public transport, especially in the crowd when entering a tram or train. (Had my wallet stolen when climbing into the train to Prague with a suitcase in either hand.)

Nevertheless, Vienna is not on a top rank in the European list of pickpocketing:

1. Barcelona
2. Prague
3. Rome
4. Madrid
5. Paris
6. Florence
7. Amsterdam
8. Athens

In contrast to the cities listed, Vienna is certainly not one of the top ten but bad luck can happen but the odds in the top cities listed are much better at getting picked. I don't recall seeing these warnings on trams in Vienna last summer, they may have been there but I didn't see them. A couple of years ago these warning signs were posted for sure, since I saw them in more than one streetcar.

They were warnings only in German about using your cell phone in public, ie on the tram, where one could easily be a target for theft as there might be others watching you talk and will go after that cell phone when you done since they know you have one.

Been in Vienna for 10+ years, never been pick-pocketed or had any issues. I wear a backpack and use public transportation daily. I have an iPhone and often travel with my laptop. I am thinking the OP might have lost it or left it somewhere - this is at least not disproven - but maybe more probable now as it seems it hasn’t been used.

OP - have you contacted any lost and found in Vienna? I have left items on trains in the past and went and collected them a few days later.

I have to charge my other camera more frequently, no longer having a
back-uo, and I have run out of storage space and am having to erase
stuff so I can take more pics

Coming in late here but are you using a digital camera with a memory card? If so, no need to make more room on the card you have. Just stop into a camera shop and buy a second card: they are not expensive. Take the full one out, pop the new one in and format it to make sure it works. Some of us travel with multiple cards so that we can change them out every few days. Some folks change them EVERY day if they're not downloading pix daily to a portable hard drive, cloud storage or another method. It insures that if the camera is lost or stolen you at least have the pictures up to that point.

I also travel with backup batteries, kept fully charged, so that I can replace an exhausted one on the fly.

My thoughts are more like Emily's on this one. We/I am much more apt to misplace/lose items than be exposed to a pick pocket. I think assumptions are being made that might not necessarily be true. None the less, it is disappointing, but not trip ending, when something like this occurs.

The only place I have become aware of someone attempting to pickpocket me was in Vienna. I'm sorry that you had to deal with this on your vacation, Gracialynne.

Yes, Kathy has it right here! Your camera's memory card is full? The solution is NOT to start deleting photos! Go buy a couple more memory cards!!! They are not expensive and you should always have an extra anyway. Your travel photos are too valuable to just delete to free up space (which really won't work as you will have to do this exercise every time you take a few more photos - NOT a good way to go). Memory cards are available everywhere and they're not expensive. Go get some!

Emily, I am back home in the United States. Arrived home today. Could I ask a favor? I have trouble making international calls. Would you mind calling the Vienna train station and seeing whether they could have found it on the train? It's a long shot, but worth a try? I used the vending machine to buy some Waldebeer there, where you buy tickets, near where the Flixbus stops. I think it's part of the Vienna bus station stop? I wondered whether I could have had it out of my pocket for some reason and set it on top of the vending machine. I don't think so, but... Worth a try. My other possibility is leaving it on that train from Erdburg to Stephanplatz. Would you mind asking their lost and found if they found a black Kindle anywhere? Or if you could find me the phone numbers, that would be a huge help. Thanks so much. Wouldn't it be something if I still found it? I was on that train and at that bus station on April 4, I think it was.

Also, Emily, do you know of any other Vienna lost and found agencies I could contact and their phone numbers? Thanks so much. I stopped at the Vienna Travel Information Office behind the Vienna Opera House and e-mailed them about my Kindle after it turned up missing, but I never received a response. I am not sure I sent my inquiry to the correct e-mail address there?

Thanks so much for your help.

Gracialynne

The info in this link explains that while the pickpocket risk in Vienna is low overall, the area where the man bounced onto the bench beside me, and from which my Kindle disappeared was in the #1 high pickpocket risk area of that city. Just my luck to make it fine during my three visits to Rome and then be pickpocketed in a city with a low pickpocket risk. LOL.

https://safearound.com/europe/austria/vienna/

And I also found this: https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/europe/austria/small-time-crime-in-austria

Gracialynne, it appears to me that you have two options regarding your missing Kindle.

First, you can just let this go. Many of us on these forums have been pickpocketed; ALL of us have lost something while traveling, sometimes through our own carelessness and other times when were distracted or overwhelmed. It is a downside of travel, but one that is a lesson as well. We learn; we move on.

Second, you can get on the Internet or the phone (Really? You have difficulties making an international call? Ask someone how to do it.) and do your homework, calling or emailing anyone who might have found a Kindle in the whole country of Austria. You may get lucky. We'll celebrate if you do.

What isn't appropriate is asking other posters to do your dirty work. Emily probably has a life of her own and the person who should be looking for your missing Kindle is you, not others.

Not offering advice here, but if it were me, I'd walk away and consider myself lucky for the lesson learned.

Emily was very kind and helpful, and she sent me the link (in English) to Vienna's lost and found process. When I tried calling the Vienna police when I was in Prague, with the help of a European man who lived there, he couldn't get the Vienna police's phone number to work on his phone, either. He thought it was a bad number. He tried calling several times, using various international calling codes. When I finally did get through to the Vienna phone number myself, from Zurich, the police worker couldn't understand my English, but she was able to answer my question affirmatively as to the fact there is a lot of pickpocketing in the Stephenplatz area, but said there was no way to file a police report online. Now that I have the English link Emily so thoughtfully shared with me, I CAN do my own research into this matter. The Vienna Information Station did not respond to my phone call earlier (I left a message with my phone number), but now I have other avenues to explore, and I will.

JC, because I thought they could help me get through to the Vienna police, as the European man in Prague and I were not able to get the phone number to the Vienna police department to work. I also thought the Prague Police might know whether it is possible to file online police reports in Europe. My sister thought they would help, too. I asked her whether she thought I should report the loss to the Prague police (I really didn't think it would do any good), and she said she thought it was a good idea, that at least it would be reported somewhere, for travel insurance purposes. Our travel phones were brand new, and both of us were having trouble operating them, new features, etc. I'm glad I did talk to the Prague police. It was an interesting, learning experience, to find out how it all works. And I finally did get through to the Vienna police worker, but her understanding of English was quite limited, and she said the only way I could file a police report was to return to Vienna, so I am thrilled that my new travel insurance company is so understanding about my inability to do that. I will definitely be using this travel insurance company on my future trips. My two previous travel insurance companies make one jump through hoops. So nice not to have to worry about having to do that any more.

Would you consider reporting to police in Mexico a theft that occurred in the US?

Yes, I would, JC, and I speak Spanish, so it would be much easier. I figure police are police, and they operate in somewhat similar fashion and might have good tips and ideas as to how to go about reporting it if you are traveling, headed hundreds of miles in the opposite direction from where the incident occurred, and not planning to return... There could even be a network of police stations between the two countries. When my court reporting machine was stolen in California, they put out an all points bulletin and I did an ID kit, and the perpetrators were found in Vicksburg, Mississippi, far away. It would have cost too much to extradite them, but at least I found out who stole it. My brother-in-law had gotten their license plate number, luckily. Granted, that was all in the United States, but I thought two adjacent countries might have a similar set-up, trying to crack down on the pickpocket problem. Prague is said to have a pickpocket problem, in addition to the Stephanplatz area of Vienna having one.

I am trying to fill out the lost property report form that Emily so kindly shared with me, but I can't find the translate button on it? Does anyone see it, or know how I could translate it? I got the whole thing filled out, but I hit a snag on the second page, which requested a place, and I put in Erdberg and Stephenplatz, and neither would work? I translated the question into English using Google translator, and it said "Need a place name." What should I try putting in there? I guess Erdberg is a train station name, and Stephenplatz is the area of the cathedral by that name. I tried putting in Vienna, Austria, both times, but that didn't work, either. All tips and help appreciated. I think today is the deadline to submit because it says items are kept 3 weeks and then taken to another location and disposed of. Today is exactly 3 weeks from its disappearance.

https://www.fundamt.gv.at/WebPublic/SearchFoundItems.aspx

Hi,

Forget google

Verlustort....where did you lose it?

PLZ...the zip code of the place

Ort...the specific spot/place you lost it

zuletzt gesehen am...the last place you saw it, ie at where?

weitere Suchkriterien...any further details you can provide, details as to how it looks, particularities/characterisitcs

Hopefully this helps in getting started. Make sure you spell Stephansplatz correctly.

Yes, I would, JC, and I speak Spanish, so it would be much easier. I figure police are police, and they operate in somewhat similar fashion

I can assure you, as a police officer, that a theft of a kindle or anything else for that matter will not be of concern for police if it occured in another country. The only cross border crimes that are of interest are serious ones. There are no networks of police stations between countries, jurisdictions are in place for a reason.

Thanks so much, Fred, for the awesome help!

Fred, do you know where I might find the zip code for Stephansplatz and the Erdberg train stop in Vienna? I've looked online but have no success in finding it? Thanks for your help.

If you had lost your device in Philadelphia ( similar in size to Vienna), do you really believe the police are going to look for a $100 item?

Why continue to torture yourself over this?

Hi,

You're most welcome.

Off hand I would say if you recall any shop near Stephansplatz or restaurant, then you could look up its zip code. (PLZ....Postleitzahl). I am looking some past receipts on close by businesses to see if the zip is indicated.

Hi,

This restaurant is on Dorotheegasse, called "Reinthaler's Beisl" just about 3 mins walk from the Stephansplatz exit on Kärntnerstraße, even closer from the "Am Graben" exit. When you come out of the "Am Graben" exit, the huge and tall Stephansdom is behind you.

The Stephansplatz U-Bahn station has two exits to street level...Am Graben and the other is Kärntnerstraße

The zip is 1010. You might try that. It's as close as it comes without knowing the exact zip code but 1010 is a good educated guess.

There is no train stop by that name or spelling as I am checking the U-Bahn network map.

In the center area, ( ie from the Stephansdom to Hotel Sacher to the Staatsoper and the Albertina) of Stephansplatz is another major junction station within a 20 mins walk, that is U-Bahn station " Karlsplatz."

@ gracialynne.....OK...here is the zip for Stephansplatz based on a museum located "Am Stephansplatz 6" The zip is 1010. That is your answer.

PLZ for Erdberg - 1110.

For future reference, in Vienna the zip codes are always the district number with a 1 at the front and a 0 at the back. So 1030 is the 3rd District, 1070 is the 7th District, 1100 is the 10th District and 1230 is the 23rd District, for example. Erdberg is in the 11th District. Ort would be Vienna, or Wienz

PLZ for Erdberg - 1110.

@Emily: Sorry for having to contradict you, but this false.

As you explained correctly, every city borough in Vienna has its ZIP code: 1xx0 with xx being the two-digit borough number.

Erdberg is not a city borough, it was a village which was incorporated into the Vienna city limits about 160 years ago. Now Erdberg is just the name for the area of the former village, and it is located in the 3rd borough, hence the ZIP code is 1030.

Don't you live in the 3rd borough? ;-)

Hi WMT1 - Yes, Erdberg (I'm referring to it in the context as a U3 Stop, not as a city or village as it is far from either) is in the 3rd, you are correct. For some reason I was thinking it was further south in the 11th. I do live in the 3rd.

So glad you kind folks were willing to help me with this. I would never have figured out the zip code for the Erdberg stop on my own. So am I correct in assuming the zip code for the area the bench I was sitting on (right between Swarovski Crystal and Mostly Mozart stores) on the street that leads from Stephanplatz to the Opera House is that same 1030 plz?

Thanks in advance,

Gracialynne

Joe, this isn't torture for me. It's interesting to learn how this all works in Austria. I enjoy it. Nothing to lose, and lots to learn. For example, I've learned about the Plz system. It's fascinating to me. I hope to return to Vienna at Christmas. Learning about all the districts and such is educational and fun. Hubby and I are considering a horse-drawn carriage ride in Old Town Vienna at night to celebrate our wedding anniversary-- the ultra romantic type where Austrian food is served in several courses, and a night at the Opera. I am not going to let the loss of my Kindle stop me from returning to Vienna, even if I don't recover it, and I realize I probably will not get it back, but that's okay.

I have figured out that the Mostly Mozart/Schwarovski Crystal areas are Plz 1010. Thanks again for your good help, everyone!

Hi,

Exactly, there is a Schwarovski in that area but the street that lead from Stephansplatz to the Opera House (Staatsoper) is Kärntnerstraße, which has 1010 as the zip code.

Thanks, Fred. I was so pleased when I was finally able to get my loss report form to submit. Thanks for your help.

Good to know it is has become enjoyable learning experience/research project of how things work and not an obsession about the device.

@ gracialynne....You're welcome. I am glad all your efforts here worked out. This district of Vienna, Stephansplatz, Am Graben, Kärntnerstraße, Staatsoper, Albertina, Stephansdom, Karlsplatz, etc I always go by, at least once, if not more so, on every trip to Wien.

The city is captivating, I'll be back there again after mid-May.

Can't wait to hear all about your May trip, Fred! Do you think Vienna in December would be fun? I wonder whether the city gets all festive for the holidays? I hope it's not terribly cold, then, but I do think it would be gorgeous to see the Austrian countryside decorated with snow...

@ gracialynne.... I have no personal experience in Vienna in December, so can't shed any light on your questions. My visits there have been from May to Sept., twice in Sept in 1971 and 1977, my first and second times there. This time I'll be there for eight nights.

Hi,

Your tenacity on this issue should be commended. It's quite doubtful; near to impossible that your Kindle will show up or be returned if it was stolen.

I realize your photos were more valuable than perhaps the cost of the Kindle, but there is a lesson here. For future trips, be more aware.

In all my traveling - domestic and abroad - I have not forgotten, misplaced, lost, or had anything stolen. I'm very organized. I keep aware of who's around me, but not to the point of paranoia.

It was your decision, but I would not have put electronics, money, ccard, passport, and phone in your jacket pocket; despite the zipper.

You wrote that you took off your coat - maybe you held onto it - but, if that guy whom you thought lifted your Kindle got an inkling you had all your valuables in the coat, he could have grabbed the coat and ran - deep into the crowd - before you even got up from the bench.

If that guy stole your Kindle, and you didn't realize it, then he's practiced.

Aside from an under-clothing money belt, what about a sturdy, small to medium cross body bag? It can be positioned in front of you in "iffy" places. And please, lol, don't wear one slung to the rear of your body - a moot point. Positioned on the hip closer to your front is good.

And, it's common practice and habit for me to always be aware of my bag - it comes natural being a city girl.

You're planning two trips for December? Nice. Rome and Vienna. Start studying now about the regs, lol.

mm14,

A money belt DOES sound like a very good idea. I think I will get one.

I'm hoping to locate my Kindle for the photos. I know it's unlikely I'll get it back, but the good news is that Amazon tells me that as soon as Wi-Fi is turned on (if someone has my Kindle), my Venice at night pics that had not yet been downloaded will automatically download to my Cloud.

So I think it's worth it to pursue all angles, in hopes I might get my pictures back that way... They were able to figure out that the last time I had it hooked up to Wi-Fi was April 2, and it disappeared on April 4.

So it's wonderful knowing that all my pictures on it previous April 2 I still have. I think the only pics I am lacking, knowing that, are the ones I took of nighttime Venice, so that's a blessing. If I had to lose any, those I don't mind so much sacrificing, as they were rather blurry, although it would be awesome to be able to retrieve them, nonetheless, as the ferry ride was romantic, and the photos help relive it. I am so glad I didn't lose my daytime Venice pics, Frankfurt, Tuscany, Vatican Easter, etc.

Yes, we are considering a bus trip (I won't name the brand of bus) to Austria and Prague while we are in Europe in December. I think they would be fun to experience in the winter. They were lovely in April, and my hubby hasn't seen them, and I'd like to go back. We've seen quite a lot of Rome, and I love it, but hubby wants to experience some new places, too. We love seeing villages, not just vistas.

I will start studying up on regs, LOL. I'm too much of a frivolous fun-lover, I guess, and I should spend more time on practicalities; you are right. And I have plenty of time to do so.

@gracialynne
Did you disable the automatic photo upload feature on your Kindle? By default pictures are uploaded to your Amazon Drive whenever the Kindle is connected to a WiFi. (There is public WiFi in Vienna at all major tourist streets, including Stephansplatz.)

wmt1, I was working on my other Kindle at Stephansplatz, using Vienna's free wifi, when the man bounced onto the bench beside me... The free wifi there was kind of working, but it would never fully download onto FB what I tried to post, a Venice picture. It would, though, allow me to respond to FB comments from friends, but it wouldn't post that picture, although the picture showed at my end in a lighter color than a fully posted picture, faded. It tried to post it but never got enough oomph to do so. I believe I had had to go to a sign-in page to access the free wifi there, even though no password was needed to use the wifi. My other Kindle was in my travel jacket pocket. I did not turn it on to connect it to the free wifi in Vienna, using a sign-in page, so yes, I guess it was disabled. I didn't think I'd need to use it that day, as it was my back-up. But Amazon said when it is next hooked up to wifi (if it wasn't thrown away), those nighttime Venice pictures should still download to the Cloud. And I'm nearly positive that all the pictures I took on that missing Kindle previous to April 2 (the last time it shows having been hooked up to wifi) did download to the Cloud, so I hadn't disabled it, per se. I mean, I didn't go into the Device Features Section and click on anything saying to disable the download feature. I actually didn't even know about it. I don't recall ever having enabled it. Maybe it was already enabled when I first received it. I know I was quite delightfully shocked when I found my Frankfurt pictures were okay, because I'm pretty sure I took them on that Kindle, prior to April 2.

Hi gracialynne,

Glad that your diligence is paying off. Hopefully yes, you will retrieve most, if not all, of your pictures.

Funny, I also take two Kindles (with their chargers) when traveling. I don't take my phone; I have Skype built in to each Kindle.

It's a great thing the alleged perp didn't take all your other stuff out of the jacket! And, yes, it's wise to use a money belt for the extra Euro and credit card, passport. Some like the neck wallet. It's a matter of taste and comfort.

With the money belt, you could also safety pin the belt strap to your undergarment for extra security just in case the plastic clip comes undone. Trial and error before you leave on your next trip.

Money belts are sold almost everywhere. If you prefer the "up close and personal touch," you could browse Walmart, TJMaxx, Marshall's - stores like that - to see what you like. Those stores have a ton out now as it moves into the travel season.

Your next trip sounds really nice. I'm returning to Rome - love it!

mm14 and Everyone, Good News!!!

Oh, my gosh! Amazon was so good. They say it's a "True Miracle" I got my Venice/Vienna pics back today. They can't believe it. Never heard of such a happy ending, they said.

First luck was that the Download to Cloud Feature was turned on. Second Miracle was that the thief downloaded a bunch of stuff today, but it was all free. He chose "Critical Ops" and "Mobile YouTube." He could have racked up thousands of dollars worth of charges on my credit card.

If a thief hooks up a stolen Kindle for just 3 days, there is no way to report it stolen or trace it even. The thief turned it on at 10 a.m. Pacific time today, for the first time. Last time it was hooked up to Wifi was on April 2, when I was still in possession of it.

Amazon found it fascinating that it took the thief about a month to hook it up to Wifi for the first time. Probably a strategy-- wait until tourist is likely back home, back to work, too busy to pursue a stolen Kindle.

Kindles are high demand theft items. At least 25 are stolen a week from each Amazon site around the world, the Amazon worker said, and there are hundreds of these Amazon sites.

If the thief had de-registered it, which most thieves do, I would not have gotten my pics back. Most likely, the thief, who was playing games on my Kindle just a few minutes ago, has suddenly seen it go dead and will be contacting Amazon for info as to why it isn't working anymore. At that point, Amazon can identify the thief and report him to the cops.

They said it was a big risk I took, not deactivating it immediately upon its loss, and they've never known a victim to get their pictures back like I did. Everything worked in my favor, they said, but they would not recommend this approach in the future. I was lucky it was someone naïve who was using it.

I am on Amazon Cloud 9! Thanks for your support, Everyone! Win-Win!

I say, "Thief" in the paragraph above. However, more likely it wasn't the thief playing games on my Kindle. It was more likely the poor sap he sold it to. I'm sure glad whoever took my Kindle didn't throw it away. That was my worst fear-- never getting my pictures back. So glad that Kindles are in such high demand by thieves. Lucky break!

Glad to see there is a happy ending every once in a while

Wow, gracialynne. I'm amazed too and congratulations! Yes, I agree. It was risky that you waited, and this time it paid off. I didn't realize Kindles were in such high demand. When you travel again, I'm sure you will keep your eyes on your Kindle(s.)

Thanks for the update.

I didn't realize Kindles were in such high demand.

I believe it's the Kindle Fire tablet the OP is referring to rather than the basic e-reader, a much more tempting target, I don't believe most thieves are into reading much.

Yes, JC, it was a Kindle Fire 5 that the pickpocket got. I have ordered a new replacement Kindle, a fancier model. Fire 5s are no longer made. The new user downloaded a free App called Critical Op and another called Mobile YouTube (both free) right before we busted him. So satisfying. I hope he or she calls Amazon to try to find out why the Kindle is no longer working. Justice.

Yes JC, I know gracialynne was referring to Kindle Fires. I have two myself. I have made a few comments up thread on her original post. The way she explained the high rate of theft as stated by an Amazon employee, I guess they are a hot commodity.