Stop Cons, Scams And Thefts On Holidays Or Vacations

By Dorothy Yamich

Whenever you travel on commercial air flights, or by trains and buses, you have to go through either an airport, train station, or bus station. This can present problems for unsuspecting travelers who are on vacations or holidays, because these are the places where pickpockets and thieves love to operate. There are many things that you can do to avoid becoming a victim when traveling on vacation and holiday, most of which are common sense. Here are some travel tips that can help.

Do not wear jewelry or an expensive looking watch as that's an invitation to robbers.

Wear a money belt under you shirt or blouse to help foil pickpockets as well as muggers. It is a good idea to put your things in a Ziploc type bag and then put the bag in your money belt. The reason for this is that the money belt and the items in it will get soaked from your perspiration, especially in hot climates, and this will help keep them dry. Do not open your money belt in public to take out credit cards, cash, or traveler's checks.

Before leaving on a vacation or holiday, it may be worth it to sew a few pockets on the inside of your slacks, skirts, or underclothing where you can hide some spare cash when you are out and about for the day. If you are carrying traveler's checks, cash, or credit cards on your person, divide them up and put them in different pockets. That way if any pickpocket is successful, he or she won't get everything. It also makes sense to use a safety pin to make each pocket opening smaller so that a pickpocket will have difficulty pulling anything out of your pockets without you feeling it.

If a lot of children gather around you in the street and cause a commotion, you are probably being targeted by pickpockets who are using the children to divert your attention. If two of the locals engage in a yelling and shoving match near you, they may be a distraction for pickpockets. Another way to distract you is to have someone collapse in front of you. When you lean over to help them, the pickpocket will strike. A different variation involves two thieves working together, one gently dropping some ketchup, mustard, or ice cream on one of your shoulders and then distracting you by pointing to the mess and helping you wipe it off. The other pickpocket then will go into action.

Pickpockets love to target men with their wallets invitingly exposed in their back pockets, and obese people because they are less likely to feel their pockets being picked. You must always be especially vigilant in airports, train and bus stations and watch your luggage, laptop, and camera like a hawk as they can vanish in an instant. Keep in mind that pickpockets prefer tourists, especially when they are in crowds.

Be aware when you are wearing a backpack. A thief may slash the bottom of it, spilling the contents onto the street where he and his accomplices quickly pick up your possessions and run away in different directions.

Usually muggings happen at night and not in the bustling part of the city. If you are accosted by an armed robber, don't argue or resist. Give them what they want and be thankful you don't get hurt. What they take from you can always be replaced and just isn't worth risking your life over.

After we read Bob Arno's book on how people can avoid cons, thefts, and street scams, we felt that it would be a valuable book for anyone who goes on vacation, or travels for business, to also read. It is chuck full of information and photos that show you how many scams work. There is no limit as to what criminals can conspire to think of to rip-off and steal from unsuspecting tourists.

Bob is one of the world's foremost authorities on street crime, scams, and identity theft. If you are interested in learning more on how to protect yourself and your loved ones when on vacations and holidays as well as in your own city or town, you may want to read his book, "Travel Advisory! How to Avoid Thefts, Cons, and Street Scams While Traveling". It may be available at your local library.

He has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, ABC's 20/20, The Travel Channel, The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, and has numerous articles written about him in USA Today, National Geographic Traveler, Fortune Magazine, Time Magazine, and The New York Times.

His book is full of humor, true stories, as well as many photos of pickpockets and street scam artists in action. In our opinion, his book is worth its weight in gold, and is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to protect themselves and their family when traveling, and even in their own home town. - 32534

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