The holiday season is approaching and with it the high season for pickpockets. In order not to become a victim of petty criminals, you should pay attention to certain things and avoid crowds.
The summer holidays are just around the corner and many people are looking forward to well-deserved holidays. Whether you're traveling to exotic countries or exploring your local environment, pickpockets lurk everywhere. According to police crime statistics, more than 2022,98 pickpockets were reported in Germany in 000, but only six percent of them were solved. As can be read on the page Polizei-Beratung.de, this is also due to the fact that "the crime is often not immediately noticed by the victims. Pickpockets are often professional, internationally active perpetrators who are active across borders throughout Europe."
Watch out: the lousy scams of pickpockets
Whether abroad or within Germany: You are never completely protected from pickpockets and the loss of valuables. But action can be taken. (Symbolic image) © MAKI/Imago
This is precisely why it is important to be aware of the dangers of pickpocketing and take appropriate measures to protect yourself. The most famous tricks of the petty criminals have been compiled by the Federal Police. Especially when on vacation at home or abroad, you should be aware of the following methods:
- Flower trick: You will be greeted exuberantly with a flower or urged to accept it. While you are trying to classify the situation, the wallet disappears.
- City map trick: Pickpockets pretend to be tourists, ask for directions with a city map or smartphone and thus distract their victims. In the process, they – or their partner – cleverly steal items from their pockets.
- Escalator/jostling/crowding trick: Escalators are also popular. The thieves block the way to jam their victims and other people. While everyone is now looking ahead and possibly annoyed, the accomplices are stealing valuables from the victims. The same principle applies in crowds and bumps.
- Disc trick: You are sitting on a bus or train and hear a knock on the window. While you look outside, an accomplice of the knocker grabs your bag, wallet or something similar.
- Dirty trick: Spilling or spilling something is human. However, pickpockets deliberately take advantage of this situation: they allegedly accidentally soil their victim and help clean it. After that, the victim will probably find that money, phone and/or backpack are missing.
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"Pickpockets can be recognized" – police give tips for protection
If you are careful on the road, you can protect yourself well from pickpockets and other petty criminals. The police in Anklam (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), where at the beginning of June, according to NDR, increased pickpockets were reported, says: "Pickpockets can be recognized by the typical searching look: They avoid direct eye contact with the victim and tend to look for the prey."
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The Federal Police also advises ...
- ... Always carry money, bank cards or other valuables as close to your body as possible and use inside pockets.
- ... It is better to wear backpacks in front of your body in a crowd.
- ... Never leave valuables in jackets or coats that are left in the cloakroom or hung over the backs of chairs.
- ... Always carry handbags and shoulder bags with the closure to the body.
- ... never to be involved in a conversation at ATMs and thus to be distracted.
- ... generally to be a bit suspicious when things get tight or you are approached or even spilled by strangers.
- ... Do not leave valuables in the rental car.
This article was created with the help of machines and carefully reviewed by editor Anna Heyers before publication.
