Do you remember pick pockets?

Do I ever!!! I used to live in Europe LOL I got used to have an inside pocket for money and special documents. If the garment didn't have one, then I would make it. It was so much safer that way:) MY purse had only unimportant stuff that I couldn't care less if it was stolen or not. That's also about the same time I got used NOT to have a wallet hehehehe When traveling I used to have a belt or one of those "wallets" that you hand from your neck and stays always close to you. And at the beach I don't usually take much money to the beach but again I used one of those little round things with a cord that you wear like a necklace. I"m so used to do this that I don't even think about it , it's automatic.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend was shopping, she had an over body handbag and as she was looking through a rail full of clothes she was dismayed to suddenly feel her handbag go light, she knew instantly that her purse had been lifted because it was heavy and the only thing in her bag. She couldnt see who had done it, in just one second it had been done and there was no sign of anyone looking dodgy or walking away from her. I said I bet whoever did it was still standing right near her so as not to draw attention to themselves. She went straight to security and they proceeded to cancel all her cards for her straight away, fifteen minutes after the incident, someone had tried to withdraw money from her account but couldnt guess the pin! They made a transaction on one of her debit cards but luckily not a lot of damage was done as they were cancelled straight away. She was the 12th person to be targeted in that area within a week, its not fair when you cant go shopping or anything without a fear of being robbed.

We still have pickpockets in some parts of England. There is a place in London, called Petticoat Lane, which is a market. It covers a very large area, and is always packed tight with people. There are signs there alerting people to the presence of pickpockets, and you are warned, always to carry your purse or wallet in your hand, as if in a bag, they cut away the bottom of the bag, take the wallet and disappear into the crowd. If in a pocket, they can, in the batting of an eyelid, slit the bottom of the pocket, or if not fastened, slip their hand in, and take your money. The only way to safeguard it is, apparently to keep a tight grip of it in your hand. Brightest Blessings.

Odd coincidence as I was just thinking about pickpockets yesterday at the grand opening of a new shopping center in a neighboring town. It was a nice event, with lots of food sampling and some live entertainment. We hadn't planned to go there, but were driving by after having shopped at stores a little further down the road and when we saw there were a few empty parking spots, we decided to check it out. Entering the first store there were about 8 store workers on hand and at least 4 uniformed police officers packing heat. Hubby noticed that even the cart "boys" had handcuffs dangling out of their back pockets. When we got inside we found some of the aisles quite crowded, and I pulled hubby close to whisper, even with all these cops, watch out for pickpockets, but looking down, I saw he already had his hand casually draped over the pocket that holds his wallet. Like you, I always carry my keys on a gizmos attached to my belt loop at one end and, in my case, clipped to the inside of my pocket at the other. I used the kind of clip made to secure cell phones, and have a similar clip and tether on my pocket computer and wallet. Good reminder, coffeebreak, that everyone needs to be vigilant all of the time.

Pick pocketing is still going on a lot but you don't hear about it much anymore on the news. I guess they think that's small time stuff so they don't put it on the news so much anymore. But I am sure it is happening a lot more than we know about. One and a half years ago I was living in Calgary and my husband and I went to the stampede that year and I had my wallet stolen right out of my purse, without knowing it till I went into it to get some money. The wierd thing about it was they somehow got my wallet out of my purse without me feeling anything. My purse is a shoulder strap purse and I never put it down but I did have the flap open so somehow they just reached inside it while I was walking and I didn't even notice or feel it being lifted out. I can only guess that people bumped into me and slipped it out. I was quite upset as I had over a hundred dollars in it but I was lucky too, because I didn't have any of my charge cards or ID in that wallet, had them in another case.

You are very clever!I willdo like you ,too. If you have some more and better idear please tell me earlier.