Sea Of The Thieves
Latrina Cobbett
Many tourists get indignant when pickpocketed or ripped off. If it happens to you, it's best to get over it quickly. You're rich and thieves aren't. You let your guard down and they grabbed your camera. It ruins your day and you have to buy a new one, while they sell it for a week's wages on their scale. It's wise to keep a material loss in perspective.
There probably aren't more thieves in Europe than in the US. We just notice them more because they target tourists. But remember, nearly all crimes suffered by tourists are nonviolent and avoidable. Be aware of the possible pitfalls of traveling, but relax and have fun. Limit your vulnerability rather than your travels.
Secure your bag, gadgets, and other valuables when you're out and about. Thieves want to quickly separate you from your valuables, so even a minor obstacle can be an effective deterrent. If you're sitting down to eat or rest, loop your day pack strap around your arm, leg, or chair leg. If you plan to sleep on a train (or anywhere in public), clip or fasten your pack or suitcase to the seat, the luggage rack, or yourself. Most zippers are lockable, and even a twist-tie, paper clip, or key ring is helpful to keep your bag zipped up tight. The point isn't to make your bag impenetrable, but harder to get into than the next guy's.
One way to minimize this risk is to keep valuable devices attached to you or your bag (this also reduces the chance of accidentally leaving something behind). For instance, a phone case/lanyard combo has a strap that you can loop around your chest or wrist, even when using your device. You can also use a lanyard to attach gadgets to your day pack (if there's no interior attachment point, feed straps through zipper pulls or a sturdy safety pin hooked to the inside of your bag).
Leave a clue for honest finders. Accidents happen, and even the most cautious traveler can leave something behind. Maximize your chances of getting it back by taping a tiny note with your email address or travel partner's phone number to any item you really don't want to lose, making it easy for a kind soul to return it. (For phones, you could use an "If Found, Please Return To" note as your lock screen, or tuck your business card inside the case.)
Use a Bluetooth tracker. If you're prone to leaving things behind, or just want to be extra careful, consider tucking an AirTag or other Bluetooth tracking device into your bag or attaching one to your phone.
Since the 1990s, the Middle East has experienced an upsurge of wildcat strikes, sit-ins, and workers' demonstrations. Well before people gathered in Tahrir Square to demand the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, workers had formed one of the largest oppositional movements to authoritarian rule in Egypt. In Tunisia, years prior to the 2011 Arab uprisings, the unemployed chanted in protest, "A job is a right, you pack of thieves!"
What began as a party in 1927, when Bartlesville oilman Frank Phillips played host to cowboys, socialites, thieves, bankers, and lawmen at his country estate, is now an annual tradition that preserves the history and heritage of the American West. This is the major fundraising event benefiting the Frank Phillips Foundation, the non-profit that owns and operates the 3700-acre wildlife preserve, museum, and ranch.
Citizens should remember that distraction crimes are committed by both men and women and they sometimes work in pairs. Generally, distraction thieves are professionals; well-dressed and well-spoken men and women who do their deeds mainly in retail businesses such as supermarkets and discount superstores, mall stores, hotel lobbies, car rental agencies, and airport terminals, among other places.
Crimes take place in both daytime and nighttime. Distraction thieves also pull their crimes outdoors in the daytime, in parking lots of businesses and banks; anywhere people would normally feel relatively safe. During daylight hours, good citizens are more likely to be trusting and helpful to others. Distraction thieves count on that trait.
Like all criminals, distraction thieves know that banks are where people with money can be found. Remember, many thieves are professionals and they try to perfect what they do to make money and, more importantly, not get caught. Distraction thieves sometimes have a third accomplice when working in and around banks. One member of the group is inside the bank checking to see who receives a sizable amount of cash from a teller. The target might put the cash inside a handbag or bank bag. Then the inside man follows the chosen target from the bank to the parking lot, signaling an accomplice along the way. The distracter usually approaches the target at his or her vehicle, using a ruse to distract their attention. One distraction is the punctured tire scam.
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