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Do Yourself a Favor: Be Prepared for Pickpockets

Paris bridge

I hate fear mongering, and I rarely pay attention to crime stats on the news because I think they’re just hyped up. I prefer to go with personal experience. But unfortunately, for once my own experiences seem to match what’s been in the French news: pick-pocketing and muggings are common in Paris.

First-Hand Experience

A few years ago, several of my tour clients were victims over the winter holidays. One had his coat stolen at a bar (it was on the table next to him). “I could have touched it, I was so close,” he said. And this guy is a 6’4” Texan man in his late 20s. He would have happily pounded the thief into a pulp if he caught him in the act. A woman traveling with her adult daughter had her wallet lifted out of her small, across-the-chest zippered purse while getting a bottle of water at the Louvre. It happened the moment after paying for the water, when she returned the wallet to the purse, then reached up for the bottle.

The woman had simply grabbed it a few seconds before my client zipped her purse closed, and her daughter standing right next to her on the other side. The daughter had even suspected the woman was standing too close. A Parisian friend lost her phone in a bar when a charming man chatting with her as he ordered his drinks leaned in a bit too close. Another Parisian friend was sitting in a café downstairs at Printemps department store with her friend. She paid for her drink, and sat down with her purse on the chair next to her. Only a few moments later she realized her wallet was gone, most likely the woman who had passed by a bit too closely, seemingly burdened by a large number of shopping bags.

Don’t Second-Guess Professionals

In all of these cases, the thieves were extremely bold, pick-pocketing in places where, if the victims had realized what was going on, it would have been hard to easily escape. They were pick-pocketed in places where their friends or other people (the cashier at the Louvre, the barman) could have easily spotted what was going on. In all cases, the victims were particularly shocked at the thieves’ audacity. People expect to get pick-pocketed in the metro. They don’t expect it in a high-end department store. But of course that’s why they’re so successful. If you ever catch yourself thinking, “they wouldn’t dare try to pickpocket anyone in here”, they probably already have.

Now, normally, I would tell all of you to be careful, be alert, don’t carry all of your cash, credit cards and ID in one place, keep your purse zipper closed, don’t put your wallet in your back pocket, and watch out for the gangs of gypsy kids in the metro who push and shove (with their hands in your pockets). Back in 2008 I wrote about how a pickpocket had mysteriously removed all the cash from my wallet without me knowing. I was lucky that I didn’t lose my cards and identification, and lucky I wasn’t mugged. But you already know to be careful.

What I’d like to say this time is a bit different. I’m recommending you be prepared in the likely case you’re a victim.

You Can’t Stop It, So Be Prepared

I can feel the resistance. No one wants to take the pessimistic route. We all think that if we’re careful enough, smart enough, that the pickpockets won’t get us. But that means that we instantly feel stupid and accountable if we become victims of these Artful Dodgers. Don’t add insult to injury by then having to blame yourself for not being perfect. The number of careful and smart people who drop their guard for just one moment seems to outnumber the ones who succeed in thwarting the thieves. Everyone who has been pick-pocketed knows the worst part is that moment when you realize you’ve been robbed, that sinking feeling in the stomach that, beneath the anger of being robbed, tells you you’re a failure for letting it happen.

So let’s try something different. We can’t control whether or not we’re robbed, but we can control how prepared we are in advance. After all, it’s bad enough being robbed, but then you have to go through all of the formalities of cancelling and replacing credit cards, ID, and cell phones. If you’re on vacation in Paris this can turn your trip into a nightmare.

Here are my tips – both for visitors and residents – for being prepared for pickpockets

Make a photocopy or scan of both sides of every single item you carry in your wallet or purse. Most people, when their wallet is stolen, can’t even remember everything that’s inside. ID cards, bank and credit cards, membership cards, medical cards, insurance cards, drivers license, student ID, etc. You should also keep a scan or photocopy of your passport on file at all times, even if you rarely use it. This way, you have a visual to show police or authorities when going through the replacement process, and it’s an easy way to immediately find the account numbers and emergency numbers usually listed on the back of the card (ironically, the number to call for your stolen credit card is right on the card…not much help if you don’t have the card anymore).

If you really want to be prepared, or if you’re only visiting Paris, you should also make a list of every card and ID you have with the account number, emergency contact number, and customer service number. When my wallet was stolen, the bank cards were easy to cancel and replace. But they also got my Disneyland Passport, my movie pass, my Velib’ card, and my Carte Vitale (French social security card), all which entailed a tedious trudge through my files to find the account numbers and contact info. Keep this on file somewhere you can access via internet, not just your hard drive (like a Google app, or in a Hotmail attachment to yourself, in case your computer is also stolen). Keeping a printout of these numbers with you when traveling is ideal (separate from the wallet/purse, of course). It’s also a good idea to have the emergency number of your embassy for any country you’re traveling to, in case you lose your passport (ie: US Embassy in Paris).  

You also Need a Backup Plan if Your Smartphone is Stolen

If your whole bag is stolen with your phone and your wallet, life quickly gets more complicated. And not just the number to cancel the phone service and block your SIM (for French phones, make sure you have written down your IMEI number; if you don’t know it, just type into your phone: *#06# and it will display on the phone). You’ll also want to backup those important phone numbers somewhere at home or on your computer (am I the only human who also still uses an actual phone book with handwritten names and numbers?) Many of us don’t memorize even our closest friends’ and family members’ telephone numbers anymore, so having a backup is good in case of emergency. All credit cards have free international collect-call numbers, write them down. To make a free collect call (assuming the person on the other end accepts the call), dial the AT&T access number (free from any phone in France: 0800-99-0011).

A note on cell phone theft insurance

Check your cell phone insurance contract carefully. My Parisian friend whose cell phone was stolen by the Casanova at the bar found out the hard way that hers only covered theft if the phone was physically pulled out of her hand, not out of her pocket. Another insult on top of the injury.  

Don’t forget to file that police report

If you’re a resident, you will need to file the report for insurance purposes, and to replace any stolen ID cards. If you’re a visitor, you may need the report to show your insurance company at home or the Embassy to have your card replaced. I encourage everyone to file a report even if they don’t have to, because it helps the police get accurate information on crime statistics and what areas of Paris need more policing. And, heck, how many of your friends can say they’ve been inside a French police station? They’re actually very nice, in my experience, and you get to leave with the souvenir document of your “story” with the official police stamp, in French. The declaration can be made at any police station or commissariat. If you don’t speak French, they will try to find someone who can help translate (or at least speak Franglais to you). If you live in Paris, you may want to follow the Prefecture de Police on Twitter, as they post alerts on the most troublesome areas or particular scams making the rounds.

For Visitors, Stop Carrying Things You Don’t Need

Take everything out of your wallet or purse that isn’t necessary, especially if it can’t be replaced easily. Personal photos, gym membership cards, your work ID badge, drivers license (an American drivers license isn’t recognized as official identification in France, so if you’re not renting a car, you don’t need to carry it around). Leave all of this stuff at home, or put it in the hotel safe with your passport (just carry a photocopy of your passport unless you’re sure you need it for something specific). There is rarely ever a time when visitors need to show identification in Paris. The French don’t require any ID when paying with credit cards (because everyone but America has PIN-secured cards now, they don’t rely on signatures). If you don’t have an in-room safe, use your own suitcase with a combination padlock as a last-resort safe place to lock up your belongings. Finally, don’t forget that your expensive smartphone looks just like cash to a thief.

Money Isn’t Everything: Stay Safe!

Sadly, there has also been a rise in muggings in Paris, with cell phones being the current number one target for being ripped right out of your hands. And it doesn’t have to be at night, or in a dark alley. There was a mugging-gone-wrong in the Etienne Marcel metro station (central Paris) where a young man tried to rip the cell phone of one woman’s hand on the platform in the middle of the day. She fought back and, thwarted, he pushed her to the ground and ran off. But as he ran up the stairs to the exit, he shoved a 27-year-old woman out of his way, causing her to fall and fracture her skull on the steps. She never regained consciousness before dying that night in the hospital.

Police and the RATP have confirmed that there has been a sharp rise in muggings involving cell phones being grabbed out of victims’ hands, both on the metro platforms and on the streets. You wouldn’t walk around on the street holding four hundred euro bills in front of you, would you? Both visitors and residents should be more cautious about where and when they pull out their phones in public. It may seem totally safe because “everyone’s using theirs too” and it’s “the middle of the day in a nice neighborhood”, but it only takes one second for someone who is more desperate than you to hit and run.  

Remember that losing your money and belongings is not the end of the world. The most important thing is that you are safe and unharmed. Being careful is recommended, but being prepared is essential if you want to keep your peace of mind.

And now, back to our regular program…

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  • I observed two pickpockets working in tandem several rows apart in Notre Dame. I stared them down and they quickly moved on to a new location. Don’t be an easy target while praying in church. Be alert and aware in your surroundings. 😊

  • Yes, sadly this is very common practice. We were in Paris for two weeks in Dec and I was attacked (not just mugged) for my purse in the lobby of the apt building we rented. Happily I am still here and a man jumped out his 1st floor kitchen window to catch him.The best weapon and defence is to carry very little and never take your phone out of your pocket. Do not carry a purse or bag if possible. It seems all tourist areas and metros are targets as well as cafes as they have various 'scams' involving children etc that they manage to steal your phone off the table without you realising. Be aware, carry very little and do NOT talk to strangers on the street-they are often distracting you while their friends pickpocket. Its a sad world when we are at this point, especially somewhere as special as Paris.

  • Hi Neil…sorry about your phone, that sucks. I have no idea how you could do that from the UK. Usually you have to go to the station in Paris in person. Perhaps call the local French Consulate offices in your country and ask if it can be done via mail.

  • I went to see Madonna in Paris on July 13th and in the afternoon of the 13th my phone was stolen by a pickpocket on line 2 of the Metro. How do I report this to the police there? I am now back in the UK.

  • Heather, thank you for this very VERY exhaustive and comprehensive post. I have shared it with all 68 of my study abroad students that are here this semester.

  • Dave, I'm interested in the Lifehacker link you provided, but seem unable to access it. Any other way of providing the info? Feel free to email it to me. Thanks!Cheryl

  • Andreas, I wrote about the scams in a previous post (there are many). They're annoying, but at least they're trying to *ask* for money rather than take it. Keep a wide berth and ignore them.

  • What about the trick of supposedly finding a ring in front of you and offering it? It happened to me twice but I had been already informed from the travel guide, and I just avoided them. Are those people really dangerous? When other people around me saw my reaction, they looked at me like I was exaggerating, but at least nothing was stolen!

  • Heather thank you so much for the info on security article especially the mobile phone IMEI NUMBER I didn't know that the number existed.

  • Great article. Just got back from Paris yesterday and witnessed a suspicious character actually stalking people on the Rive Gauche-Versailles RER train. I watched him get off at stations and then reappear later on. He would walk quickly down the car aisle looking for something to grab and run out of the door just as the train was about to depart. It was obvious to me, but no one I was traveling with seemed to notice. Stay vigilant and be aware of your surrounding. Keep your valuable away from the aisle. Also, take particular notice of people in tourist areas that are alone. If it looks strange, it probably is.

  • I live here & recently my apartment got robbed. They took everything that was valuable: computer, hard drive, jewelry, camera, etc. Even & coffee maker & expensive hair dryer. They knew where to look. Fortunately they didn't do too much digging or they would've found my hidden passport & some cash. They took what was up front & ready for the taking. At the end of the day it's just stuff but what I was really bummed about was losing years & years of photos of my son that were on the computer. Luckily I have a lot of private albums online but still… Thousands of photos are gone. So I urge you all to back up your most precious photos online through Facebook or Photobucket.com or whatever site you want. It really sux to lose your pictures. I do have a few photo albums of vacations on CD Roms & they didn't bother taking those so that was good. I'm thinking of even backing those up & sending some CD Roms to my parents in case there's ever a fire or anything. Heaven forbid!Also, KEEP ALL YOUR RECEIPTS! Insurance only reimbursed me for things I had proof of. They can estimate prices on things you may have photos of (I have since photographed all my expensive jewelry & put the photos in an online album) but are likely to estimate a smidgen of the real value. Good luck to you all!

  • A friend of mind just recently got headlocked on a crowded metro, then the criminals accomplice ripped his pants pockets to get money. It was on crowded metro and no-one came to his aid. I can't believe this. Personally, I'm going to start carrying pepper spray…

  • when walking the streets of Paris, it would be wise to bring just enough cash and leave the rest of your money in your hotel room. in that way, you wouldn't get so frustrated in case you have been victimized by pickpockets 🙂

  • Heather:Good on you for this post. I have had three encounters with pickpockets while traveling in Europe, once in Barcelona and twice in the Paris Metro. The first Paris encounter was successful, the others were not. Both Metro encounters were at the Line 8 area of the Opera Metro stop. I have to take some of the blame for the successful hit. It was late on a Saturday afternoon, and the cars were unusually full (which should have been a tip off, plus I was carrying a camera). I had several hundred francs in my pocket which the thieves took. In the second encounter, my wife and I were coming up the escalator when I felt someone bump into me. As we reached the top, my wife screamed that a man had my wallet. I grabbed the guy and twice slammed him as hard as I could into the wall. To my complete amazement, he then meekly handed my wallet back and ran away.Your tips on being prepared are spot on. Very good advice.

  • I forgot to add one more "item" of importance, when getting metro tickets (carnet) or updating your navigo pass, always make sure you have your backpack, purse, murse in front of you. If you're with a friend, let them sorta be on the look-out while you concentrate on doing your thing. This may sound like overkill, but the other #1 choice for picpockets aside from inside the train is at the "machines". Also, if there is an ATM located inside a building versus on the street, I always use the one inside. The other choice of thieves is to grab your money and run as you are getting money from your ATM. "Not paranoid, just cautious"

  • Great article, Heather – though I'm back in San Francisco, it made me a little more alert today to someone I suspected was up to no good. As with many things, I feel like you should apply the principle " expect the best, prepare for the worst". When I spent a few months in Paris this fall, my US bank suggested I open a second checking account (free) with its own ATM card, linked to my primary account. They suggested that I keep minimal $$ in the primary account, and to carry that ATM card and leave the secondary account's ATM card at home. Then in case the primary ATM card were to be stolen, there wouldn't be much $$ in the account, and I could switch over to the secondary account and its card. They were just worried that if I lost the primary ATM card, I might not be able to get a new one shipped over quickly enough. This seems complicated, but it wasn't, and of course nothing bad happened, so I never needed to call the second account into play.

  • Excellent tips – the cell phone bandits seem to be a global tribe, for sure. My father had his stolen right out of his hands on the subway in Philadelphia. Then again, I don't know why he was holding anything in his hands in the Philly subway, that's asking for trouble! Great list – sometimes being vigilant isn't enough, we must be prepared for the worst!

  • Good article. Paris is by no means alone in this, I think Barcelona is probably the pickpocket capital of Europe. Iphones are the most popular phones stolen. Thieves just snatch them up. I knew a man who was pickpocketed on the #1 his wallet was in his front pocket and with a chain. He soon found his wallet dangling from his chain looped to his belt with no money in it. Truly amazing. My rule is whenever there's lots of seats on the metro and they sit down next to you, beware. And, whenever someone follows you too closely into the turnstile from behind beware, so always have your backpack or purse in front of you. And, I also recommend if you carry a purse or murse PacSafe is a great brand for mitigating theft, since it can't be cut and has a lock, http://www.pacsafe.com/ Bonne Chance!

  • I live in the 3rd and was taking a Sunday walk in October on the Canal St. Martin. I was mugged by four teenage men in broad daylight while sitting on a park bench next to the canal. Two of them grabbed me while the other two took my purse. I never imagined that this would happen with so many people around and at 2 pm on a sunny day. While I was reporting the incident to the police, officers told me that quite a few muggings have taken place on the Canal and there are troops of thieves stealing everything from bikes to purses to cell phones. Even though this is a very bobo area at the moment, it doesn't make it completely safe!

  • I believe the stats are true since this winter I've seen more pickpockets than usual at Notre-Dame, the Tour Eiffel and Pigalle/Montmartre. I've been lucky so far … I hope it stays that way 🙂

  • Hey, thanks for the link, Dave! I myself have a stupid phone (meaning, "How could I have been so stupid to buy this piece of crap?!") so I don't have access to the nifty features that smartphone users have. And don't worry, more shallow Parisian fluff posts coming soon! 😉

  • This post is very informative and not too alarmist at all. Better prepared – and safe – than sorry! Before living in Paris, I was used to my Quebec City ways of putting my iPhone on the table when I go to a coffee shop or restaurant. When I got to Paris, a friend who lives there kept on reminding me to keep it in my pockets, telling me about those drive-by scooter thefts. All those charming terraces in Paris are also targets for Artful Dodgers, as you call them. Although I have never been a victim of pickpocketing and never witnessed any, I always have to remind myself to be careful. Those statistics don't lie, it can happen to you. Being careful and above all, prepared to the possibility that it could happen, can lessen the frustration you feel when it does. Thank you for this important reminder!

  • And, the most annoying part is one of the reasons i have a nice phone is so that I can catch up on mails, reading, computer stuff on the run (and especially to kill time when I'm doing boring things like standing at the metro stop). So, if I only use it at home, I might as well have a cheap phone and just use my computer. but having heard about so many recent phone thefts, i do try to be more careful with it these days.I also saw an attempted pickpocketing a few weeks back on the line no. 2 metro (which was stopped by an undercover police) it was in the exact same stop (Barbes) where I was attempt pick-pocketed myself.

  • I've been hearing about cell phone theft being on the rise around town. Here is a helpful article on how to secure your phone to make it useless to a thief (not that it will stop them from stealing it, but at least you'll have the satisfaction of knowing they didn't get any money for it) and how to remotely wipe all the data from the phone once it's stolen:http://lifehacker.com/5724683/how-to-secure-your-smartphoneWhat a drag that you have to write about such things, Heather. Such is life, I guess.