Opportunity Makes A Thief

During a recent stay in Mexico City, my son and I walked along a street en route to our hotel after dinner. Five women crowded around us who appeared to be in their early 20s. Trying to distract us with flirtatious talk and posturing, I felt a hand where most men normally carry their wallets – into a back pants pocket. The same thing happened to my son.

During a recent stay in Mexico City, my son and I walked along a street en route to our hotel after dinner. Five women crowded around us who appeared to be in their early 20s. Trying to distract us with flirtatious talk and posturing, I felt a hand where most men normally carry their wallets – into a back pants pocket. The same thing happened to my son.

They quickly dispersed when it became obvious we weren’t the easy marks they first assumed. My son knocked a hand away, I put an elbow into the ribs of one persistent young lady, and off they went. We returned to our hotel, wallets intact.

The point being, of course, that valuables you carry around should never be easily obtainable by would-be looters. Keep such items stuffed in front pockets, and be suspicious of anyone approaching.

While refraining from wearing expensive jewelry when traveling might seem obvious to most of us, how often do we all still see fellow travelers flashing gold chains and diamond rings? Unless you want to be a thief magnet, curb your ego and don’t travel looking extravagant. By doing so you won’t always deter being mugged, but it makes no sense to tempt fate.

Last year I saw a broad-daylight robbery on a busy street in Valparaiso, Chile. Just as with a football that’s often fumbled when carried like a loaf of bread, the crook grabbed a camera that a tourist carelessly carried by hand instead of secured with a neck strap. Before anyone could react, the young man exited via an alley into the inner city. Use a wrist or neck strap – it makes it that much harder for thieves and therefore less likely to fall victim to incidental crime.