RS hit by pickpockets in Paris

i know his blood was boiling

"And the tailor always needs a new suit..."

Happened to me on Metro in Barcelona. It happens.

We were hit twice on the Paris Metro. Once in the station, once getting on a train. We learned lessons both times. Luckily, we only lost a few euro. And our pride.

Rick has remarked in the past that he "makes mistakes so that his readers can learn from them". Hopefully someone will learn from Rick's experience in this case. I'm a bit surprised though that he didn't follow his own advice in terms of always using a Money Belt.

He also commented on this incident in his Blog.

A money belt is not a wallet -- you never access it in public, so you need to have some other spot to hold a single credit card and some money while out and about. The moneybelt is a body safe. I buy clothes with hidden pockets, or carry a purse properly and my husband now after several failed attempts at picking his wallet and one successful one, finally got one of those neck bags you can wear under your shirt. Inelegant but fairly safe for today's walking around money.

While I've yet to be pick pocketed, I've never been compelled to wear a money belt. Seems so silly to me. I highly doubt French small town dwellers visiting the big capital city wear one.
But hey, peace of mind is worth a lot. I never carry what I can't afford to lose. I just got off a flight yesterday with a bunch of elderly people on their way to Shanghai. There were 6 or 8 of them wearing fanny packs and neck wallets. They could barely maneuver their copious carry on luggage, so perhaps for people like that a hidden money belt is a great idea - they didn't strike me as vigilant.

A local visiting the big city is not nearly as inconvenienced at losing even their credit cards as an international tourist is. We after decades of avoiding it, managed to get picked for the one card my husband was carrying that day and didn't have the use of it for the next 5 weeks. It was danged inconvenient. And losing your passport is a nightmare. Moneybelts are not for walking around the city anyway, they are body safes for transit until you can stow stuff safely in apartment or hotel safe. Neck wallets can be convenient for men who don't use purses; fanny packs are totally not secure and are not 'money belts' and are easily picked in addition to looking ridiculous.

The clothes Steves wears touring are a neon sign for a pickpocket; no one but American tourists wear khakis and travel shirts. Asians are also targeted because of their habit of carrying a lot of cash when they are in Paris. The only way to avoid theft is to not be a walking buffet. So wear what you want but never put valuables in pocket, backpack or fanny pack. (Bum bags to you Brits and stop smirking)

The chief of police in Paris had his Iphone picked a couple of years ago so it isnt' just the rubes. Americans as a group are particularly vulnerable because pick pocketing is not common in the US and the typical American has no idea that a teenage girl can easily lift his wallet from the 'safe' front pocket where he has stowed it and do it without him noticing. The US specializes in violent crime but this kind of sneak thievery is a high skill that is not prevalent in the states and Americans don't realize how easily they can be victims even if they are 'aware'.

Crime of opportunity no matter where one is from. We saw students in the metro coming from the St. Denis campus of the Université de Paris being targeted by pros because the pros knew they were studying for exams and not paying attention. I told one girl to close her bag after I glimpsed a hand dart into and out of it. The two pickpockets stood there stone-faced.

As for what Janet said, indeed, it's well known in France that the Chinese are the targets of choice due to the cash they carry. It has even caused diplomatic problems. We're not number one anymore.

"Losing your passport is a nightmare"??? Really? Mine was replaced at a consulate in Europe within an hour. It was the easiest part to deal with.

I just completed five weeks in France with 12 days in Paris which I have visited four previous times and have been very lucky not to have been picked.I have my front pocket done with velcro and it has worked well for the last 15 years and my wife has a cross body purse with a cable strap and clips on the zipper which have been bullet proof.
Mike

I've traveled in France 8 times (always spending time in Paris, on the subways and other trains), and only once was pickpocketed: in Toulouse, at dusk. The guy got nothing, because my pocket was empty. I swore at the guy, and then he stood in front of me and started yelling. I didn't know what he was saying, but maybe he felt insulted, which was appropriate, because I insulted him. He was a real thug. I stepped around him, and kept walking. It was scary, but no harm done.

I always carry my money and credit cards in a zippered pocket in my shirt, so it's at chest level in the front.