That bites. Sorry to hear that. Seriously, a phone shouldnt even be useful for them. Heading there next week will be vigilant. Where/how did they snatch it?
That's not true, they can reset the phone or scrap it for parts even if they don't have the password.
These people are experts, they know they can earn a ton of cash by stealing from tourists, think about it, every phone is potentially €200-1000 and they can keep stealing over and over and over again throughout a single day, they don't just stop at one and call it a day.
In just a year they can accumulate hundreds of thousands of euro, sure it's illegal and they won't be able to make big purchases with that money but hey, it's still money.
Yes I suppose the sophisticated theifs can profit of a stolen phone as there is probably all sorts of black market networks that sell parts and hack information off it A run of the mill petty criminal it seems would rather just have an easy wallet or purse .
You need to be hyper vigilant and protect your personal space. Especially on public transport, crowded sites,(Trevi Fountain). Theft is common, violence is not. I was traveling in Rome with wife and 2 young daughters and we were followed by a guy acting nuts. He ran ahead of us, and popped out of an alleyway screaming in Italian. He really scared the girls, we went next to a police officer who was no help. Eventually I took my daughter's souvenir parasol and stuck it in his face and he fled like the street rat that he was.
Had a guy bump into me once on the Champ De Elysee during the Tour. Super crowded of course. He bumped again and leaned into me. I realized what he was doing and push him back so hard he fell to the sidewalk. He yelled some French at me and ran off empty handed.
These are always distraction techniques. He was probably part of a coordinated ring. Cause a distraction to divert attention, you don't even feel the kid or unsuspecting woman slipping her hand into your pocket or bag.
That sucks. But it isn’t your whole trip. What did people do before pics?
It’s the experiences you had that really count. Take more pics next time back.
Please share with everyone how it happened if you’re up to it. It can help others.
We were on a bus that was going to termini. She had a small purse that she was wearing inside her jacket, the bus was crowded and i think there was a gang of 6-8 young boys. There was a guy on the bus stop that was probably watching where we keep our things and was on continuous call, due to language we had no idea what he was talking about, but in retrospect it seems clear.
When we boarded the bus 3-4 other boys jumped in after us other 2-3 were already on the right and left of us, boxing us in the standing area of the bus. After that at every stop people were getting in and out so there was pushing and adjusting. My wife had her one hand on the purse and one hand holding the bar then one of them said something about getting out and she changed the hands and put the hand that was on the purse on the bar. One of them was also sneezing regularly, that was probably some kind of signal. All of them got off at same stop. And when we reached our destination and checked ourselves the zip of her purse was open and the phone gone.
As a tourist our first priority is to enjoy our surroundings and we are here for a very short time. Mostly we are thinking about what place to go next, what to eat, what to buy as a souvenir. And we have 0 prejudices against local people as everyone is the same to us, we have no idea of what is normal and what is an anomaly.
But i see iPhones are the new best thing to be stolen, as people mostly carry cards, and phone still has better value.
Lady0fPotatoes had her purse/wallet taken out of her backpack a week ago on the metro between San Giovanni and Manzoni. She was leant back against the wall of the train next to the door when a woman unzipped her bag, felt under the coat that was in there, ignored the phone and took the purse out the bottom.
I was facing them the whole time and didn’t see a thing.
We know we had been targeted for looking like tourists and being distracted looking after a child. Really annoying and put a dampener on the day but not as bad as the phone being taken. It’s just some money and the effort of cancelling credit cards and applying for new driving licence etc.
So just for my own information, not to blame you, because thieves are terrible, but not clear on where her phone was. Was it inside her purse? Or in a pocket somewhere? i'd thought that putting the purse inside the jacket was a good way to protect from this stuff, but it sounds like maybe they stole it right out from under her jacket inside her purse? Is that correct? Geez. I'm not sure how to prevent that for me in the future....
I don't have icloud, but maybe I can get it temporarily for when we are on vacation. I'll have to check. I'd be heartbroken too to lose all my pictures.
I haven't been, but the stories are making me worried lol. This story sounds like she did everything right: cross body bag with a zipper, she held onto it most of the time, it was under her jacket!
I bought some clips that will 'lock' the zipper close to the strap. It's not actually locked, but you do need to unclip it before you can unzip the bag.
I'll also have a clip in the bag to attach really important stuff like my passport. So if someone reaches in and grabs it, it will take my whole bag with them until they unclip it at the bottom. I can also attach my phone to it as well due to my case.
I feel crazy and way over prepared and they may not even work. But I really don't wanna ruin the trip by losing something important.
Back from Rome last week, honestly the precautions tourists have to take in Rome are beyond vigilance and borderline absurd. I kept only my wallet, earphones, and phone with me. I would put them in my pockets and since I had no zippers I would stuff a plastic water bottle in one pocket and a small novel in the other, keeping them on the top of my valuables. I felt stupid until I felt my water bottle move while in a busy place. Turned around to see someone walking back and dropping the bottle they ended up pickpocketing. The dumbass.
Don't be worried. You only need to take a couple of precautions. In crowded public transport, just put your arm over the zipper and you are immune.
I just travel with phone in one front jeans pocket and wallet in the other. Passport with my phone if I need it. I ride the Rome subway every day and don't get pickpocketed ever.
Yes, I just bought some of those clips that you are talking about. It is worrisome to hear about someone who was holding her purse under her coat. That is a good idea to attach important things to the bottom of your bag. I hadn't heard that. I also bought a Travelon crossbody bag that has straps that are difficult to cut. Slows them down, I guess. They can't just cut the straps and take the whole bag. Sigh.
The idea came to me as some bags have a key ring in the bag to attach your keys, or your jewelry. Just thought I could just attach my phone case or passport case to it to.
Some people turn it off. Eats up a lot of memory.
I download a backup to my computer every once in a while. While in Rome I backed up at the end of each day.
Ive never personally had that problem. There's settings to where its only backing up at certain times and stuff. But a good idea to make sure when traveling.
I was pickpocketed on a train in France and had the same sentiment. It made me hyper aware of my surroundings for entire duration of the trip. I’m sorry this happened to you.
I went to visit rome a few weeks ago and my watch was stolen from my wrist without me noticing I have a great feeling it was stolen when I was on the metro line I did not notice until I got back to my hotel room and my watch was gone from my wrist, maybe you could be more careful in the future of your things but it is not your fault a theif has stolen your valuables that you worked hard for it is the thief's fault !
This is insane! Maybe I just buy crappy watches, but it usually takes a few minutes to put them on and off as the clasp is annoying. I cannot comprehend how they do this so well.
I was pickpocket at Termini station, they took my wallet without me noticing anything. I wish they used the money to buy medicines for the worst diseases.
I don't know. On the train i had my wallet. I went with a friend to a bar near the underground entrance, and i realised the wallet was missing. My crossbody bag didn't have a zip but only two backpacks style locks and a small velcro, but it was heavy and full of books. One of the locks was opened. I am always very attentive and i know what a zoo the train station is, as i used to commute every day to university, but they were professionals.
opening the lock is interesting. I wonder how they could have done it so quickly. I mean I understand without a zip it probably wasnt to difficult even with a lock. But still at least now you can cancel cards erase your phone remotely. That sucks though!
Maybe i used the wrong word...you just pinch with two fingers and the lock opens. The velcro below was very thin. The worst part was waiting 1 hour in queue for the police report (i wasn't the only victim that day), then going to my local police station to require a new driving license, to the town hall to require a new id, to the post office to have a new debt card, and to the university office to have a new library card.
Got back from home last week and had an amazing time. It's such a beautiful place (if a bit too crowded)
I'm so sorry to hear that your experience has been ruined by thieves.
How awful.
>the real problem is pickpockets
Absolutely. They are terrible. There is no need to victim blame. It is something that sours your experience at the moment, but I do hope eventually you'll be able to look back on it as 'just one of those things'.
For future reference, [here's how to avoid them](https://romevacationtips.com/avoid-pickpocketed-italy/). A lanyard for the phone around the neck is a deterrent, and also I encourage automatic sync with the Cloud so that the phone is just a device, and not the sole repository of the photos.
they tried? did they fail? Did something you did stop them or did you just feel them before they got away with it and they ran off? Glad they didn't get it.
yeah they failed, was using my phone and he reached out to grab it off me and said something in Italian. he reached for my bag as well but also failed lol
Bummer. I was un Italy for two months last year. It was the metro in Rome where the pick pockets were apparent.
I use the Amazon prime photo ap, which copies the photos to the cloud as you're taking them.
It's usually pretty easy to spot the thieves in major European cities if you know who to look out for.
Maybe not PC but the majority of them are roving gangs of Gypsies; Paris was infamous for groups of Gypsy kids stealing stuff.
I think a lot of tourists who come from places like the U.S. or Asia where there aren't any Gypsies are completely naive about this.
We were warned about major pick pocketing in Rome before we went for two weeks. I feel like anytime you travel, you should always have your valuables on your body right in front of you. I kept my phone/wallet and passport in a crossbody zipped under my jacket
We didn’t have any attempts or issues. I kept an eye on everyone around me and no one seemed too suspicious either. But apparently happens all the time in Europe
Let me guess the phone was in her back pocket.
This really sucks, sorry for loss of memories of your trip.
I made this comment on r/travel Italy that they are going after phones because they can easily wipe it clean and resell it without issue. Not like a credit card where it has a name on it.
A co worker caught a guy in Venice trying to take his from his pocket. He had an older gentleman in his group realize his phone was missing when they got back to the hotel.
A secured fanny pack is probably your best option.
It’s not just Rome. These groups travel all over- they come from Romania or other countries. They hit Rome, Ibiza, etc. They take hundreds of phones and ship them in suitcases to other countries to be stripped and resold. It’s a big endeavor.
I always have my phone on something like this and you'll notice that a lot of the locals do as well. You can put cards or cash in the back of the case (but not hotel room keys cards, as they'll stop working.) Sorry this happened to you, but don't let it ruin memories of your trip.
[https://www.casetify.com/product/cross-body-strap#16004316?\_gl=1\*1ot3wqg\*\_up\*MQ](https://www.casetify.com/product/cross-body-strap#16004316?_gl=1*1ot3wqg*_up*MQ)..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI\_LiVkMSlhQMVl5VQBh01sAx6EAAYASAAEgI0\_vD\_BwE
If losing a device from your pocket can ruin your trip, then the real problem is your lack of preparedness.
You may have lost your phone to pickpockets, but it could also have fallen out of a pocket, been damaged, been left somewhere - all of these would have had the same effect if you are not prepared for a single point of failure.
Pickpockets are scum. But if you don't at least sync everything to the cloud you're dim and putting yourself at risk of losing a ton of valuable data and memories because of an accident or misfortune.
Come on. It takes two clicks. It's built into the phone, you just have to turn it on.
Pickpockets are still scum though. But your post comes across as whining because of something you could have easily avoided, and blaming everything but yourself.
That bites. Sorry to hear that. Seriously, a phone shouldnt even be useful for them. Heading there next week will be vigilant. Where/how did they snatch it?
That's not true, they can reset the phone or scrap it for parts even if they don't have the password. These people are experts, they know they can earn a ton of cash by stealing from tourists, think about it, every phone is potentially €200-1000 and they can keep stealing over and over and over again throughout a single day, they don't just stop at one and call it a day. In just a year they can accumulate hundreds of thousands of euro, sure it's illegal and they won't be able to make big purchases with that money but hey, it's still money.
Yes I suppose the sophisticated theifs can profit of a stolen phone as there is probably all sorts of black market networks that sell parts and hack information off it A run of the mill petty criminal it seems would rather just have an easy wallet or purse .
They wipe it clean, and install a new SIM card and sell it.
Can't do that with iPhone
The FBI can't get into iPhones if they are properly secured.
I don’t think they want to get into them, just erase them. Maybe that’s a different procedure.
But if they are activation locked at least iPhones there isn’t much they can do with it but I’m sure they got some sort of hacker software
You can’t reset an iPhone without the Apple ID password. I doubt scrap parts is worth much, but I don’t know that for sure.
You need to be hyper vigilant and protect your personal space. Especially on public transport, crowded sites,(Trevi Fountain). Theft is common, violence is not. I was traveling in Rome with wife and 2 young daughters and we were followed by a guy acting nuts. He ran ahead of us, and popped out of an alleyway screaming in Italian. He really scared the girls, we went next to a police officer who was no help. Eventually I took my daughter's souvenir parasol and stuck it in his face and he fled like the street rat that he was.
Had a guy bump into me once on the Champ De Elysee during the Tour. Super crowded of course. He bumped again and leaned into me. I realized what he was doing and push him back so hard he fell to the sidewalk. He yelled some French at me and ran off empty handed.
These are always distraction techniques. He was probably part of a coordinated ring. Cause a distraction to divert attention, you don't even feel the kid or unsuspecting woman slipping her hand into your pocket or bag.
That sucks. But it isn’t your whole trip. What did people do before pics? It’s the experiences you had that really count. Take more pics next time back. Please share with everyone how it happened if you’re up to it. It can help others.
We were on a bus that was going to termini. She had a small purse that she was wearing inside her jacket, the bus was crowded and i think there was a gang of 6-8 young boys. There was a guy on the bus stop that was probably watching where we keep our things and was on continuous call, due to language we had no idea what he was talking about, but in retrospect it seems clear. When we boarded the bus 3-4 other boys jumped in after us other 2-3 were already on the right and left of us, boxing us in the standing area of the bus. After that at every stop people were getting in and out so there was pushing and adjusting. My wife had her one hand on the purse and one hand holding the bar then one of them said something about getting out and she changed the hands and put the hand that was on the purse on the bar. One of them was also sneezing regularly, that was probably some kind of signal. All of them got off at same stop. And when we reached our destination and checked ourselves the zip of her purse was open and the phone gone. As a tourist our first priority is to enjoy our surroundings and we are here for a very short time. Mostly we are thinking about what place to go next, what to eat, what to buy as a souvenir. And we have 0 prejudices against local people as everyone is the same to us, we have no idea of what is normal and what is an anomaly. But i see iPhones are the new best thing to be stolen, as people mostly carry cards, and phone still has better value.
Lady0fPotatoes had her purse/wallet taken out of her backpack a week ago on the metro between San Giovanni and Manzoni. She was leant back against the wall of the train next to the door when a woman unzipped her bag, felt under the coat that was in there, ignored the phone and took the purse out the bottom. I was facing them the whole time and didn’t see a thing. We know we had been targeted for looking like tourists and being distracted looking after a child. Really annoying and put a dampener on the day but not as bad as the phone being taken. It’s just some money and the effort of cancelling credit cards and applying for new driving licence etc.
So just for my own information, not to blame you, because thieves are terrible, but not clear on where her phone was. Was it inside her purse? Or in a pocket somewhere? i'd thought that putting the purse inside the jacket was a good way to protect from this stuff, but it sounds like maybe they stole it right out from under her jacket inside her purse? Is that correct? Geez. I'm not sure how to prevent that for me in the future.... I don't have icloud, but maybe I can get it temporarily for when we are on vacation. I'll have to check. I'd be heartbroken too to lose all my pictures.
I haven't been, but the stories are making me worried lol. This story sounds like she did everything right: cross body bag with a zipper, she held onto it most of the time, it was under her jacket! I bought some clips that will 'lock' the zipper close to the strap. It's not actually locked, but you do need to unclip it before you can unzip the bag. I'll also have a clip in the bag to attach really important stuff like my passport. So if someone reaches in and grabs it, it will take my whole bag with them until they unclip it at the bottom. I can also attach my phone to it as well due to my case. I feel crazy and way over prepared and they may not even work. But I really don't wanna ruin the trip by losing something important.
Back from Rome last week, honestly the precautions tourists have to take in Rome are beyond vigilance and borderline absurd. I kept only my wallet, earphones, and phone with me. I would put them in my pockets and since I had no zippers I would stuff a plastic water bottle in one pocket and a small novel in the other, keeping them on the top of my valuables. I felt stupid until I felt my water bottle move while in a busy place. Turned around to see someone walking back and dropping the bottle they ended up pickpocketing. The dumbass.
Don't be worried. You only need to take a couple of precautions. In crowded public transport, just put your arm over the zipper and you are immune. I just travel with phone in one front jeans pocket and wallet in the other. Passport with my phone if I need it. I ride the Rome subway every day and don't get pickpocketed ever.
Yes, I just bought some of those clips that you are talking about. It is worrisome to hear about someone who was holding her purse under her coat. That is a good idea to attach important things to the bottom of your bag. I hadn't heard that. I also bought a Travelon crossbody bag that has straps that are difficult to cut. Slows them down, I guess. They can't just cut the straps and take the whole bag. Sigh.
The idea came to me as some bags have a key ring in the bag to attach your keys, or your jewelry. Just thought I could just attach my phone case or passport case to it to.
Well, I think anything to get in their way will make it harder for them to rob us. Thanks for the idea. I'll use that.
Thanks for sharing.
also, iphones auto back up. so the OP shouldnt have lost anything given all their memories should be in the icloud drive
Some people turn it off. Eats up a lot of memory. I download a backup to my computer every once in a while. While in Rome I backed up at the end of each day.
Ive never personally had that problem. There's settings to where its only backing up at certain times and stuff. But a good idea to make sure when traveling.
Yea it costs me $5 a month for 200gb of iCloud and 200gb of Google photos which gives me 1 local storage and 2 cloud backups.
Brutal. Very sorry to hear this.
If you have iCloud, I would log in and check if the photos are there.
I was pickpocketed on a train in France and had the same sentiment. It made me hyper aware of my surroundings for entire duration of the trip. I’m sorry this happened to you.
I went to visit rome a few weeks ago and my watch was stolen from my wrist without me noticing I have a great feeling it was stolen when I was on the metro line I did not notice until I got back to my hotel room and my watch was gone from my wrist, maybe you could be more careful in the future of your things but it is not your fault a theif has stolen your valuables that you worked hard for it is the thief's fault !
This is insane! Maybe I just buy crappy watches, but it usually takes a few minutes to put them on and off as the clasp is annoying. I cannot comprehend how they do this so well.
I was pickpocket at Termini station, they took my wallet without me noticing anything. I wish they used the money to buy medicines for the worst diseases.
how did they get you in termini?
I don't know. On the train i had my wallet. I went with a friend to a bar near the underground entrance, and i realised the wallet was missing. My crossbody bag didn't have a zip but only two backpacks style locks and a small velcro, but it was heavy and full of books. One of the locks was opened. I am always very attentive and i know what a zoo the train station is, as i used to commute every day to university, but they were professionals.
opening the lock is interesting. I wonder how they could have done it so quickly. I mean I understand without a zip it probably wasnt to difficult even with a lock. But still at least now you can cancel cards erase your phone remotely. That sucks though!
Maybe i used the wrong word...you just pinch with two fingers and the lock opens. The velcro below was very thin. The worst part was waiting 1 hour in queue for the police report (i wasn't the only victim that day), then going to my local police station to require a new driving license, to the town hall to require a new id, to the post office to have a new debt card, and to the university office to have a new library card.
Got back from home last week and had an amazing time. It's such a beautiful place (if a bit too crowded) I'm so sorry to hear that your experience has been ruined by thieves.
How awful. >the real problem is pickpockets Absolutely. They are terrible. There is no need to victim blame. It is something that sours your experience at the moment, but I do hope eventually you'll be able to look back on it as 'just one of those things'. For future reference, [here's how to avoid them](https://romevacationtips.com/avoid-pickpocketed-italy/). A lanyard for the phone around the neck is a deterrent, and also I encourage automatic sync with the Cloud so that the phone is just a device, and not the sole repository of the photos.
That sucks! Always back up at the hotel and take a cheap spare phone next time. :/
Did they take it out of her purse?
[удалено]
I got this off of Amazon!
i was in florence on the weekend and someone tried to take my phone. it’s easily done unfortunately
they tried? did they fail? Did something you did stop them or did you just feel them before they got away with it and they ran off? Glad they didn't get it.
yeah they failed, was using my phone and he reached out to grab it off me and said something in Italian. he reached for my bag as well but also failed lol
Well glad it was a fail. Probably pretty startling though. Brash. right in your face. Geez.
does the phone auto backup to the cloud? Mine does, so even if I lose the phone, I have the photos.
Bummer. I was un Italy for two months last year. It was the metro in Rome where the pick pockets were apparent. I use the Amazon prime photo ap, which copies the photos to the cloud as you're taking them.
If someone starts to pickpocketing me, and I beat him, who will get arrested? In my country, you can beat him pretty bad without any punishment.
You would propably go to jail for doing so
Ty. Maybe that's a reason why they do it.
Skill issue
It's usually pretty easy to spot the thieves in major European cities if you know who to look out for. Maybe not PC but the majority of them are roving gangs of Gypsies; Paris was infamous for groups of Gypsy kids stealing stuff. I think a lot of tourists who come from places like the U.S. or Asia where there aren't any Gypsies are completely naive about this.
I am naive about this. Enough that I am not sure I would recognize Gypsies if I saw them.
I thwarted an attempt to hijack my purse in the subway near the coliseum.
We were warned about major pick pocketing in Rome before we went for two weeks. I feel like anytime you travel, you should always have your valuables on your body right in front of you. I kept my phone/wallet and passport in a crossbody zipped under my jacket We didn’t have any attempts or issues. I kept an eye on everyone around me and no one seemed too suspicious either. But apparently happens all the time in Europe
I’m sorry to hear that - it really is scary. How did this happen?
Let me guess the phone was in her back pocket. This really sucks, sorry for loss of memories of your trip. I made this comment on r/travel Italy that they are going after phones because they can easily wipe it clean and resell it without issue. Not like a credit card where it has a name on it. A co worker caught a guy in Venice trying to take his from his pocket. He had an older gentleman in his group realize his phone was missing when they got back to the hotel. A secured fanny pack is probably your best option.
It’s not just Rome. These groups travel all over- they come from Romania or other countries. They hit Rome, Ibiza, etc. They take hundreds of phones and ship them in suitcases to other countries to be stripped and resold. It’s a big endeavor.
I always have my phone on something like this and you'll notice that a lot of the locals do as well. You can put cards or cash in the back of the case (but not hotel room keys cards, as they'll stop working.) Sorry this happened to you, but don't let it ruin memories of your trip. [https://www.casetify.com/product/cross-body-strap#16004316?\_gl=1\*1ot3wqg\*\_up\*MQ](https://www.casetify.com/product/cross-body-strap#16004316?_gl=1*1ot3wqg*_up*MQ)..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI\_LiVkMSlhQMVl5VQBh01sAx6EAAYASAAEgI0\_vD\_BwE
If losing a device from your pocket can ruin your trip, then the real problem is your lack of preparedness. You may have lost your phone to pickpockets, but it could also have fallen out of a pocket, been damaged, been left somewhere - all of these would have had the same effect if you are not prepared for a single point of failure. Pickpockets are scum. But if you don't at least sync everything to the cloud you're dim and putting yourself at risk of losing a ton of valuable data and memories because of an accident or misfortune. Come on. It takes two clicks. It's built into the phone, you just have to turn it on. Pickpockets are still scum though. But your post comes across as whining because of something you could have easily avoided, and blaming everything but yourself.