My family of 4, including 2 teenagers, just came back from a wonderful 2 1/2 week trip to Paris and the Lauterbrunnen area of Switzerland. However, one of the not so fun parts of our trip was that my 15 year old son got his cell phone stolen by a pick pocket in the Basel, Switzerland train station. It wasn't even that crowded but in the 2 minutes it took us to exit the train and make our way up the the escalator and into the main station the phone was gone. He had it in the front pocket of his shorts and never felt them take it. So just a gentle reminder to put valuables including cell phones in a ZIPPED pocket or closer to your line of sight especially when you are distracted with luggage and bags.
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ
333 posts
Oh sorry to hear this happened to your son, Jamie. Those pickpockets are fast and very talented, I know from experience! After about 15 countries visited (so not a newbie by any means), I unwillingly donated a good bit of cash to a pickpocket in Milan. Good reminder for us all!
Posted by
Connecticut
692 posts
Some individuals who pickpocket are highly skilled in their craft. It could have happened to anyone even without distractions or even if the item was in a zippered or buttoned pocket. Unfortunately your son was the target of the moment. Hopefully neither of you feel bad nor responsible. I am obsessively careful and it happened to me once. Thankfully they only got a decoy wallet that I inadvertently placed 5€ into after making a quick purchase. I was sandwiched between two individuals pretending to be arguing while boarding an empty bus. A third individual (definitely an accomplice) walked up to me with my now empty wallet while smiling perhaps hoping for a reward.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32350 posts
jamie,
I'm sorry to hear that your son lost his mobile phone to pickpockets. Unfortunately some of the pickpockets in Europe are extremely talented at their "craft", and not feeling the phone being "pinched" is typical. It's very likely that the "dip" passed the phone off to an accomplice within seconds so even if you had confronted him, he wouldn't have had the phone.
Although this is a few years old, you may be interested to have a look - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2394624/Pickpockets-tricks-exposed-Beware-concealed-hand-easy-dip-techniques-used-determined-thieves-smartphone-snatches-Tube-railways-soar.html .
This is also a good article - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/outsmarting-pickpockets .
Posted by
Bern, Switzerland
1043 posts
It is very unusual for a pickpocket to take something out of a front pocket... It is also very common for found items to be handed in at Swiss railway stations. So try making a report of your loss to them and perhaps you will get lucky [I have found and handed in 3 phones at my local train station here in Switzerland]. Here are the links:
https://www.sbb.ch/en/help-and-contact/lost-found-office/submit-loss-report.html
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2185 posts
Zippers will not protect you. Our neighbor Bob was sitting in a church pew in Malta, with his wallet in a zippered front pants pocket. A man slipped into the pew beside Bob and lightly bumped him, apologizing. Both sat for a while, admiring the church. The other man left first.
When Bob stood up, he realized his wallet was gone. Thousands of dollars had already been charged on his credit cards before he reported the theft, but he was ultimately not responsible. He also lost cash, debit card, drivers license, IDP. He wore his neck wallet religiously the rest of his trip.
Posted by
Washington DC
28065 posts
I don't dispute that front pockets are less attractive targets than back pockets unless the pickpocket has seen the potential victim put something like a wallet containing a wad of cash into a front pocket. However, front pockets are nowhere near theft-proof. Folks who insist they'll know if someone tries to get into a front pocket are at risk. Unfortunately, many don't believe the warnings until it happens to them or to someone else in their travel party.
Posted by
Bay Area, California
1632 posts
Sorry that this happened. Per Zurich police, crime in Switzerland has gone worse, though it's still much safer than some of its EU neighbors. Yes, we need to be vigilant at all times. The only country where I don't worry about crime is Japan.