6 Life Hacks to Protect You against Pickpockets
Shops are getting busier and busier. The customer limits are getting more and more liberal. We already do the shopping in our home towns and cities. Soon we will set off to go shopping in tourist resorts.
A lot of pickpockets have been waiting very long for crowds of people to come back to shopping centres. Busy looking for perfect gifts we fall prey to pickpockets losing our wallets with all their content. However, some simple hacks can protect you against losing all the valuables you have on you.
First and foremost always leave the most precious jewellery at home. This is what marks you as a potential victim in the crowd of other buyers. Before going shopping take off expensive rings and big necklaces.
You should also select carefully shopping hours. The later, the worse. Once it gets dark, they might approach you on the parking lot hardly seen for witnesses or CCTV cameras. In the summer the sun sets later, but if you want to go shopping in the evening, you'd better have a shopping companion. At least one.
Keep your bag close to you at all times. Never drop your purse or wallet into a basket, a trolley or your own shopping bag. You can try the trick with a carabiner, but this is not going to work in department stores.
Credit card will always work better than cash when you go shopping. Even if they manage to steal your wallet, if you quickly call the bank, they will block your account and terminate the card. When you lose your cash, however, you will never get it back.
Never check your phone in a shop or on the parking lot. If you need to text someone, do it before you leave home. Thieves watch the environment and they will quickly realise that you are distracted and you're not attending your possessions. You will be an easy prey for the pickpockets.
Before you enter the parking lot, get your car keys ready. The sooner you find them, the faster you will load your shopping into the car and get in. Looking for keys in your bag makes you lose your concentration. The thieves might take an advantage and grab your bag. Once you load the shopping and get in, lock the door. A mugger might run up to your car, hit you or just snatch the shopping from the backseat.
Be careful at all times. We hope that you will never have to test the hacks in real life situation. But if you do, let them help you get back home safe and sound.
