Dealing With Pickpockets, Beggars, and Hustlers

Of all the pests encountered during a vacation, the most annoying and potentially the most dangerous are the human kind.

The most likely nuisances you'll meet are pickpockets, beggars and hustler. Being the victim of a picked pocket, a con or a swarm of beggars can spoil the entire vacation, so here are some things to watch out for, and some precautions to take in order to have the most pleasant and incident free vacation possible.

Foiling Pickpockets

One of the facts of life when you go on holiday to a major tourist attraction is that you will have to deal with pickpockets. Not everyone falls victim to this most common of vacation pests, but if you’re in a crowded urban area, particularly anywhere near a major tourist attraction, using the public transport system, are visibly a foreigner or a tourist, and show any sign of bewilderment or confusion, you’ll definitely run a higher risk of being targeted.

When visiting such pickpocket-friendly sites, its best to keep a very close eye on your possessions, most particularly in the moments when people are close to you. If at all possible, don’t let anything leave your hands — ‘…but I only put it down for a minute…’ is one of the most common lines on ‘lost items’ police reports. When using the public transport system, the same caution applies. In addition, try to get to your destination as quickly as possible to minimize the window of opportunity.

The simplest way to avoid losing anything valuable is to simply not carry it in the first place. Large sums of money and important original documents are almost never necessary while you’re sightseeing, and if you are pick pocketed during your shopping spree in the crowded market, the loss will cause no end of trouble. For this reason, most travel advisories recommend carrying just enough money for the day and only photocopies of your documents when you are visiting the sights, and leaving the rest of your money and documents, in a safely locked place, either in the hotel safe or someplace equally secure. Though some people worry about theft from a locked hotel safe, it is far easier and more likely to lose your valuables by pick pocketing then by theft from a locked safe.

If you absolutely must carry valuables, you can deter the pickpockets by keeping it hidden away. This means really hidden — not having your wallet or valuables stuffed into a back pocket, or in your hands, or anywhere easily accessible. Even if you button or zip or Velcro the pocket, pickpockets are experts at staging scenes to distract you from feeling your wallet being removed from that deftly opened pocket. A money belt or pouch is the safest place to keep your valuables, but the money belt or pouch has to be worn INSIDE the clothing for it to be effective — having it outside the clothes is basically an open invitation to any pickpocket in the vicinity, but is an amazingly common mistake.

A more serious threat is theft, whether armed or unarmed. Though this is relatively rare, it does happen and in this situation, having a money belt or pouch is no protection against loss. A thief is as likely to read a travel website as anyone else, and will know all about money belts and pouches. If you are carrying large sums of cash or important original documents around in your money belt, a theft will really ruin your holiday.

Some unlucky victims have suffered a thief forcing them to withdraw money from ATMs or cashing their traveller's checks before being released. The really unlucky victims are also assaulted into the bargain, and though there is little you can do once you are in the situation, the best way to avoid it is to use the same common sense you would use in any other major city: don’t walk alone in dark places at night, don’t drink excessively, try not to look too touristy (and thus an obvious target), stay alert and generally don’t invite trouble. Naiveté and carelessness are the two biggest helpers a thief can have.

Coping with Beggars

Another common problem faced by vacationers is coping with beggars (pictured above). Though this problem is associated more with Third World locales, it is also a serious issue in many First World cities, such as London and New York. Having said that, most people have more trouble with the beggars in Third World countries. In many of these places, the gap between the visitor’s own standard of living and that of the local population can be astoundingly wide, prompting the visitor to feel guilty. It doesn’t help that many of the beggars are children, or horribly maimed.

The hard truth is that though it is heartbreaking to see so much misery and suffering, you as an individual (and one on vacation at that) have very little power to alleviate it. Though it may seem compassionate to do so, giving to the beggars is strongly discouraged by just about every travel agency, the police and even the embassies.

This isn’t just hard-heartedness: giving money to beggars not only encourages more of the poor to take up begging, but also indirectly promotes an image of the country as a 'beggar-filled nation'. This undesirable image does affect the country's tourism industry, which is often one of the biggest sources of income such countries have. A particularly desperate practice of some poor families is to maim their children to ensure a permanent begging income, and is directly encouraged by naïve tourists who give money to begging children. If you feel you want to give money to aid the local populace, there are any number of registered charities which will put your money to responsible use without encouraging begging.

The most effective way to deal with beggars is to ignore them. Be firm, polite, say ‘no thank you’ in the local language if you can and give a confident shake of the head at the same time (be careful though, in some countries a side-to-side headshake means ‘yes’). Most importantly, after that, don’t make eye contact, don’t keep repeating yourself, as both are general indications that you’re unsure of yourself, and can be pestered some more.

Timid people may feel shy of doing so, but please be aware that any show of generosity to one beggar generally brings a whole crowd of them around you, and this is an overwhelming, and sometimes frightening experience.

Also, don’t get angry. This not only gives a bad impression of yourself, but also may invite trouble, as many beggars work in packs, and not all are afraid to retaliate for perceived ill treatment. If they are children, and try to make body contact or tug your clothing, remove their hand firmly, chide them gently no, and then resume ignoring them. If they are not children, and depending on how uncomfortable you feel, you can chide them, request help from bystanders, or scream. The last is particularly effective as many people will go out of their way to help a foreign tourist in distress.

Dealing with Hustlers

Getting conned while you’re at home is bad enough, but being tricked out of your money or valuable while you’re on holiday is an awful experience. Touts, conmen and hustlers are the bane of every vacationer, and are at their most prevalent in the cities. The scams can range from the relatively benign (paying inflated prices for common goods) to the mildly deceptive (a ‘friendly stranger’ redirecting you to a restaurant or shop to take advantage of kickbacks).

Most of the more benign scams only cost you a few dollars and little bit of time, and can serve as lessons on what NOT to do in the future. Many of them begin with the approach of a friendly stranger in the street. Some of the most popular approaches are to ask for directions, or to give a helping hand. These lines depend on your own sense of good manners, helpfulness and/or bewilderment to get you to stop, talk and eventually, give over money.

Other popular scams involve ‘special deals’ to get cheap gold jewellery, gems or other valuables, if you accompany them to a ‘friend’s place’. These approaches depend on the visitor’s greed and gullibility to work, as well as sheer embarrassment afterwards to prevent the victims from reporting the perpetrators (incidentally, these scams work very well, judging by the number of cases reported).

The most disturbing scams, and the ones most potentially dangerous involve staged scenes that use bullying, fear and sometimes the threat of violence to get hold of your money. Most often, they involve bogus policemen ‘catching’ you and your new-found ‘friend’, who just happens to have a supply of drugs on him.

Fortunately, most of these lines can be recognized for what they are fairly quickly, and the hustlers avoided, either by ignoring the approach or rapidly excusing yourself and continuing on your way. The longer you spend talking, the harder it is to escape the con. Its easier if you have a companion, as you can strike up a conversation with them and exclude the stranger until you are safely past.

If you feel the situation getting more serious — subtle intimidation, threats, or the stranger brings out ANY drugs or weapons — walk away AT ONCE. Cross the street or run if you feel necessary. This may seem extreme, or at least ill-mannered, but the cost of staying put may be more than you can afford.

Don't let fear stop you

These are just some of the things you may want to look out for while you’re on holiday, but it should not detract from your enjoyment of it. One thing that should be emphasised is that despite the stories you hear about the beggars, thieves or pickpockets in this or that tourist attraction, the majority of the people who visit have safe, pleasant experiences. Also, bear in mind that the criminal element of any city is less than 1% of its honest population.

The point of all those stories, and all this advice, is to help you have to find a balance between restrictive caution and carefree relaxation. Reading too many safety advisories and focusing too much on such concerns is liable to lead to paranoia and a ruined holiday. Being too carefree may lead to carelessness, an unfortunate incident and a ruined holiday. Every traveller has to find his or her own balance between the two extremes.

 

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First published 21 February 2005. This article is free for personal and commercial reproduction, with the following terms and conditions.