Tourist Gets Pickpocketed In London, Realises She Filmed The Female Gang Doing It
When travelers visit big cities they are told to avoid certain sketchy areas to prevent being the victims of crime – but in some of the most popular cities around the world, pickpocketing has become such a common art it occurs anywhere, at any time, and in broad daylight. Thai tourists Nina Spencer and her friend Toi learned this lesson the hard way on a trip to London.
The pair were walking through Cambridge Circus, filming themselves on a selfie stick as they toured the famous capital, when, in what seemed like a split second, they were robbed. After they had crossed the road, Toi looked inside her Louis Vuitton handbag and noticed her designer purse containing £400 in cash and her credit cards were missing. Distraught Toi and Nina played back at their video footage from the day and were shocked at what they found.
Thai tourists Nina Spencer and Toi were walking through London vlogging
The footage shows a well-dressed woman in a black jumper and black sunglasses on her head looking over Nina’s shoulder while a second woman, in a black leather jacket holding a red smartphone, eyes her friend’s handbag.
At the same time, the woman in sunglasses can be seen in the video using a large black shopping bag to hide the thief’s hand in action.
The pickpocket dips her hand into Toi’s bag and stealthily pulls out the purse, without either woman noticing.
The two women are then joined by a third accomplice in sunglasses holding an orange jacket. She walks around the back of the unsuspecting women to quickly gather the stolen purse under the coat.
All three women then walk away quickly walk in a different direction.
Nina said she reported the theft to police but according to Viral Press they have not had the wallet returned. “We don’t think it’s possible to have the money back now. But we just want to be helpful and let the police be aware of things going on in the city,” she said.
There is an average of 600,000 incidents per year in the UK. Pickpocketing thefts increased by 20% in London between 2010 – 2012. The most highly targeted cities around the world for pickpocketing according to TripAdvisor data are: Barcelona, Spain, Rome, Italy, Prague, Czech Republic, Madrid, Spain, Paris, France, Florence, Italy, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Athens, Greece, Hanoi: Hanoi, Vietnam.
People had their own theories and tips on how to avoid theft to share:
Unfortunately, tourists are always the most attractive targets for pickpockets. “Pickpocketers prey on these parts of the city the most, as locals usually tend to stay away from tourist attractions, and tourists in general have much more cash or valuable possessions on them,” says Chris Young, owner of The Young Travelier. So how to you avoid drawing attention to yourself? Avoid wearing flashy clothes or signaling where your valuables are. Said Lewis Sage-Passant, MSyl, a former British military intelligence officer and director of travel security firm How Safe Is My Trip, “Somewhat counter-intuitively, travelers can also make themselves more vulnerable by being obviously over-protective of valuables. By constantly patting your pockets to check on your wallet, you are signaling to very observant pickpocketers that the pocket contains something of value.”
Despite the idea that pickpockets may be solo criminals, working in a group is quite common. “Usually, one of the gang will distract the mark, often with a fake tourist survey or petition, or by ‘accidentally’ spilling something on them,” said Sage-Passant. “While the victim is distracted, their accomplice will take the opportunity to grab items from unguarded pockets or bags, sometimes going so far as to cut through the material of bags to access the contents.”
The comment about Asians being the targets: it's because Japan and Korea are so safe, people don't even think about the possibility of getting robbed. Not sure about China, though, and the other countries. But anyway, last year, when visiting my home country, Croatia, I was technically the "Asian tourist", but the one to get robbed was a friend, who lived there, so....
I totally agree about Japan and Korea. They were so safe that as a women, I could walk around a large park at night in Tokyo and not have to worry about anything.
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The thing I would like to point out is that, if you are going to a foreign country, don't advertise your wealth by walking around with a Louie Vuitton bag. I understand that she may have felt safe because of how her home country is...but you're not in your home country and it's probably a good idea to do a little research into the place you plan to visit so that you can be prepared. Like when my husband moved us to a new state 3000 miles away from our home. He first got online and checked the areas of the highest crime on a police data map. That way he could choose an apartment where we would be less likely to have are car broken into or stolen..encounter violent crimes..just so we can be safe. Each major city has these maps. Get educated.
Yeah... How she carry a Louis Vuitton bag in.... London. Wait....
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My first time in London, I was walking thru the crowds in Leicester Square with a bunch of friends, going from one pub to the next when I realized someone NOT in our group was walking a little too close to me. I'm a native New Yorker, so my first response was to stop and check my bag, which they had just started to open. As soon as I stopped I noticed they had turned around and started walking off. And being a New Yorker, I went after them LOL screaming I was going to kick their a$$e$. The minute I started yelling, they and ONLY they started running off, which confirmed what I already knew. I lost em in some store that I didn't realize had a back entrance. I was furious. Never once has anyone picked my pocket in NY; had to go overseas to find fools stupid enough to try.
Don't mess with a New Yorker. They won't put up with any c**p.
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My mum will use safety pins to close her jeans pocket if her bank card or money is in them. That way, if her bag were to be stolen, her cards and money would be safe. If you are visiting an unfamiliar place, or somewhere with a high rate of pickpocketing, choose a bag that has zips as well as a flap, preferably a bag with a strap that can go over your head so it can't be pulled off as easily, don't advertise your wealth, and keep a hand resting on the bag at all times. The harder you make it, the less likely you become a target.
I had been told that there are so many pick pocketing in Europe. So in my first time visiting there, I was so anxious and ignored every stranger who tried to talk/approach me. I know it's rude and overreacting, but it's better than left your guard and filming in crowded road. Not only you're being target of criminal, it's kind of dangerous that the camera might hit other pedestian.
Sucks she got robbed, but she really should’ve known better: walking around with a selfie stick in the most touristy part of London, carrying a wallet full of cash AND all her credit cards - in an OPEN Luis Vuitton bag, behind her back!? C’mon, that’s just pretty much an open invitation to any pickpocket!
Wow. Based on the 2nd video about signing petitions I feel relived I sad recently no to the exact same scam in Porto, Portugal. The lady there pretended there that she's deaf. I am working with blind and deaf people, so I'm very into the topic, but I had the feeling that something is not okay. I'm happy that we didn't lose any money or documents, phones etc. based on that scam and robbery.
Signing petitions, asking for directions, pretending to be deaf or giving away things like balloons or roses for "free" and so on is typical for organized criminals in Europe's big cities. If they get caught stealing something they pretend you just lost your purse or keys and that they were just about to give it back to you. Or they enter hospitals and steal from patients rooms pretending they were looking for someone to visit and ended up in the wrong room. A lot of them are on the streets pretending to be disabled and really crippled begging for money in a sometimes pretty harsh way. It's really annoying sometimes.
Load More Replies...
This is really unrelated but I like how bp has started publicly crediting the staff
"Pickpocketing in Paris" Same happened to my mum at Madrid airport. Thank you again brave man who saved her.
I always keep my little pouch with my money in in it around my neck and under my shirt. Never have had a problem. When I was in Italy they would send their kids to distract you and then they would rob you. No way not happening to me but the people I was with had $900 stolen because they were stupid.
Why people are talking about backpacks? The lady's purse was in her pocket. Anyway: never have that much cash with you. Not even in your hometown. Never have everything in one pouch: have your money and bank cards, id's and phone separately in different pockets. Once we - 4 women - were robbed on a street by two armed guys. Two of us didn't have any money with us. On the other hand one girl basically lost everything and had to contact immediately the closest embassy to be able to continue her trip. She also had to ask help from her family to pay for her accomodation, food etc. until she can get new bank cards and papers. The whole situation was shocking, but this made her life even more miserable. Meanwhile we were only shaking because of the whole robbery and gun situation.
That's why you keep your cards in a secure location, like a bra or an inside pouch in your pants. And the only thing you keep in your wallet is a minimal amount of cash and travelers checks. If the travelers checks are lost, the old ones can be invalidated and new ones issued. It guarantees that your money is safe.
Load More Replies...
Pay attention to your belongings and surroundings instead of playing with your phone!
Here's another possibly unpopular thought: if you have a phone out and are "vlogging" your experience, that means you aren't paying as much attention to your surroundings AND you are also probably a tourist. Please note this isn't an attempt to blame the victims so much as to point out something that really is just common sense in about 10000 different situations (including street safety at night, to name just one)
this (https://travelscams.org/europe/england/street-pickpockets-in-england/) shows the tricks and places to watch out in UK
While I agree to a point- you just have to be aware of your surroundings for the most part. (Sorry for the snark- I'm tired and sometimes think I'm funny.)
Load More Replies...
Same script in Bogota,Colombia. The lady gangs here are so sucessful that the franchise their pick pocketing tricks to México.
Ha! Someone or maybe a group of woman trying to stole from my backpack around Opera, Paris. Fortunately I keep my valuable things in front of me with another small waist bag covered with my jacket! I felt it when they act on it but I just didn't knew it was the zipper of my backpack that being opened. It so quick and felt like a buzz/vibrate of a phone but the vibration isn't attached on my body so I feel kind of strange and turn over my head try to figure what was that but only found some woman walking behind me. Twice! On that corner around Opera! But they didn't take anything since I only kept a left over food inside my backpack and some Rupiah 🤭 They don't know how to use Rupiah 🤣 I only knew that my backpack is left open after some distance of walk when there's a nice old man told me on the street 'madam, your backpack is open!' 😶😳😏
I was amazed to have been the victim of pickpockets twice in Paris, since I'm pretty vigilant and, frankly, somewhat paranoid. One of these, I realized in retrospect, involved the thief getting my metro pass, wallet and passport from a jacket that had a zip-up pocket on the left side front, over the heart. I assumed that I'd notice anyone unzipping the pocket that was literally under my nose. At first, I couldn't imagine who had done it, but realized that there was a person who, I'm guessing, was pretending to be drunk and approached me for some change. He cleverly stumbled around, braced himself against my chest at one point and then moved along into the crowd. You almost have to respect the skill involved in the whole performance, from the acting to the deft and lightning fast unzip-->pluck movement, which would probably entail a cat-like dexterity that was precisely the type of move you wouldn't expect from a drunk. Misdirection through the embodiment of a clumsy oaf.
The last post is quite right. London has become a bottom-feeding dump, a criminal's and thug's haunt. Policing is regarded as borderline racist, so there are no police. Just a lot of disconnected cameras the British are too poor to switch on. Pick away, people of the planet - there will be no comeback!
I have only been pickpocketed 1 time in over 20 years of travel and this was in December 2017, I had my phone taken from my coat pocket while going through a metro turn style... didn't think anything of the tug I felt because thought my coat got hung up. I had put the phone in my right pocket which I never do because my left side is protected by my arm and my purse (zipped and under my arm) plus this was the first full day I was there and I was jet-lagged and dealing with a probable concussion I had gotten the night before.... ugh. I never carry designer purses, (always a cheapo bag) don't wear my expensive jewelry etc... just was inattentive this time.
when i go to NYC or aboard i wear a f***y pack, i never carry large sums of cash and one card that i can turn off on my phone if it goes missing and i dont like ppl too close to me like back up!
No matter how safe one can feel, you don't go around with your bag opened and everything important on public display. Not only you can get robbed (yes, Japan & Korea are pretty much exeptions), but also you can just lose it accidentaly. Unfortunately I live in a country where theft is popular, so I know how to handle theft prevention :/ Sucks.
I've been to London three times and never had a problem. I used a small messenger bag and also a mini backpack for hairbrush, lotion, umbrella. My money was in a security pouch with an uncuttable cord around my neck. It feels a bit jaded to be untrusting but foolish to walk around naively in a huge city like London. Sorry they got robbed but at the very least it wasn't at knifepoint or gunpoint.
If you are going to the UK and more especially London, don't count on any help from the police whatsoever apart from a crime number to give your insurance company.
I would put duct tape over the opening of my pockets so i can feel the picpocketer. And maybe attach a bell to valuables. *Advice* use a f***y pack
Wait i just realized why its called a f***y pack...
Load More Replies...
There were a total of 4 of these women working together, so even if they were caught red-handed and a confrontation ensued, it wouldn't look good for the 2 tourist ladies. I'm sure those 4 women wouldn't do their thing on a group larger than them.
If your a guy, carry your wallet in your front pocket. learned that long ago after losing $700.
Welcome to Europe! Where especially Roma, Pikey, Sinti and traveling packs of Romanian, Bulgarian or Albanian thieves are highly thankfull for your filled wallets full of free tourist money ;-) & Don't forget our "perfectly integrated Morrocan citizens" who are the true champions of every European nation's top criminal lists (killings, murders, robberies & especially raping). Oh and yeah: thousands & thousands of CRIMINAL fake refugees, who for some reason can't be returned towards their own lands, will grand you the warmest of welcomes! Especially our female population & our entire LBGTQ community (who seem to be always in need of another raping or severe name calling when simply walking in the streets) are extremely exhilarated that all these lovely, lovely, highly adjusted individuals with have been added towards European Society.
The comment about Asians being the targets: it's because Japan and Korea are so safe, people don't even think about the possibility of getting robbed. Not sure about China, though, and the other countries. But anyway, last year, when visiting my home country, Croatia, I was technically the "Asian tourist", but the one to get robbed was a friend, who lived there, so....
I totally agree about Japan and Korea. They were so safe that as a women, I could walk around a large park at night in Tokyo and not have to worry about anything.
Load More Replies... The thing I would like to point out is that, if you are going to a foreign country, don't advertise your wealth by walking around with a Louie Vuitton bag. I understand that she may have felt safe because of how her home country is...but you're not in your home country and it's probably a good idea to do a little research into the place you plan to visit so that you can be prepared. Like when my husband moved us to a new state 3000 miles away from our home. He first got online and checked the areas of the highest crime on a police data map. That way he could choose an apartment where we would be less likely to have are car broken into or stolen..encounter violent crimes..just so we can be safe. Each major city has these maps. Get educated.
Yeah... How she carry a Louis Vuitton bag in.... London. Wait....
Load More Replies... My first time in London, I was walking thru the crowds in Leicester Square with a bunch of friends, going from one pub to the next when I realized someone NOT in our group was walking a little too close to me. I'm a native New Yorker, so my first response was to stop and check my bag, which they had just started to open. As soon as I stopped I noticed they had turned around and started walking off. And being a New Yorker, I went after them LOL screaming I was going to kick their a$$e$. The minute I started yelling, they and ONLY they started running off, which confirmed what I already knew. I lost em in some store that I didn't realize had a back entrance. I was furious. Never once has anyone picked my pocket in NY; had to go overseas to find fools stupid enough to try.
Don't mess with a New Yorker. They won't put up with any c**p.
Load More Replies... My mum will use safety pins to close her jeans pocket if her bank card or money is in them. That way, if her bag were to be stolen, her cards and money would be safe. If you are visiting an unfamiliar place, or somewhere with a high rate of pickpocketing, choose a bag that has zips as well as a flap, preferably a bag with a strap that can go over your head so it can't be pulled off as easily, don't advertise your wealth, and keep a hand resting on the bag at all times. The harder you make it, the less likely you become a target.
I had been told that there are so many pick pocketing in Europe. So in my first time visiting there, I was so anxious and ignored every stranger who tried to talk/approach me. I know it's rude and overreacting, but it's better than left your guard and filming in crowded road. Not only you're being target of criminal, it's kind of dangerous that the camera might hit other pedestian.
Sucks she got robbed, but she really should’ve known better: walking around with a selfie stick in the most touristy part of London, carrying a wallet full of cash AND all her credit cards - in an OPEN Luis Vuitton bag, behind her back!? C’mon, that’s just pretty much an open invitation to any pickpocket!
Wow. Based on the 2nd video about signing petitions I feel relived I sad recently no to the exact same scam in Porto, Portugal. The lady there pretended there that she's deaf. I am working with blind and deaf people, so I'm very into the topic, but I had the feeling that something is not okay. I'm happy that we didn't lose any money or documents, phones etc. based on that scam and robbery.
Signing petitions, asking for directions, pretending to be deaf or giving away things like balloons or roses for "free" and so on is typical for organized criminals in Europe's big cities. If they get caught stealing something they pretend you just lost your purse or keys and that they were just about to give it back to you. Or they enter hospitals and steal from patients rooms pretending they were looking for someone to visit and ended up in the wrong room. A lot of them are on the streets pretending to be disabled and really crippled begging for money in a sometimes pretty harsh way. It's really annoying sometimes.
Load More Replies... This is really unrelated but I like how bp has started publicly crediting the staff
"Pickpocketing in Paris" Same happened to my mum at Madrid airport. Thank you again brave man who saved her.
I always keep my little pouch with my money in in it around my neck and under my shirt. Never have had a problem. When I was in Italy they would send their kids to distract you and then they would rob you. No way not happening to me but the people I was with had $900 stolen because they were stupid.
Why people are talking about backpacks? The lady's purse was in her pocket. Anyway: never have that much cash with you. Not even in your hometown. Never have everything in one pouch: have your money and bank cards, id's and phone separately in different pockets. Once we - 4 women - were robbed on a street by two armed guys. Two of us didn't have any money with us. On the other hand one girl basically lost everything and had to contact immediately the closest embassy to be able to continue her trip. She also had to ask help from her family to pay for her accomodation, food etc. until she can get new bank cards and papers. The whole situation was shocking, but this made her life even more miserable. Meanwhile we were only shaking because of the whole robbery and gun situation.
That's why you keep your cards in a secure location, like a bra or an inside pouch in your pants. And the only thing you keep in your wallet is a minimal amount of cash and travelers checks. If the travelers checks are lost, the old ones can be invalidated and new ones issued. It guarantees that your money is safe.
Load More Replies... Pay attention to your belongings and surroundings instead of playing with your phone!
Here's another possibly unpopular thought: if you have a phone out and are "vlogging" your experience, that means you aren't paying as much attention to your surroundings AND you are also probably a tourist. Please note this isn't an attempt to blame the victims so much as to point out something that really is just common sense in about 10000 different situations (including street safety at night, to name just one)
this (https://travelscams.org/europe/england/street-pickpockets-in-england/) shows the tricks and places to watch out in UK
While I agree to a point- you just have to be aware of your surroundings for the most part. (Sorry for the snark- I'm tired and sometimes think I'm funny.)
Load More Replies... Same script in Bogota,Colombia. The lady gangs here are so sucessful that the franchise their pick pocketing tricks to México.
Ha! Someone or maybe a group of woman trying to stole from my backpack around Opera, Paris. Fortunately I keep my valuable things in front of me with another small waist bag covered with my jacket! I felt it when they act on it but I just didn't knew it was the zipper of my backpack that being opened. It so quick and felt like a buzz/vibrate of a phone but the vibration isn't attached on my body so I feel kind of strange and turn over my head try to figure what was that but only found some woman walking behind me. Twice! On that corner around Opera! But they didn't take anything since I only kept a left over food inside my backpack and some Rupiah 🤭 They don't know how to use Rupiah 🤣 I only knew that my backpack is left open after some distance of walk when there's a nice old man told me on the street 'madam, your backpack is open!' 😶😳😏
I was amazed to have been the victim of pickpockets twice in Paris, since I'm pretty vigilant and, frankly, somewhat paranoid. One of these, I realized in retrospect, involved the thief getting my metro pass, wallet and passport from a jacket that had a zip-up pocket on the left side front, over the heart. I assumed that I'd notice anyone unzipping the pocket that was literally under my nose. At first, I couldn't imagine who had done it, but realized that there was a person who, I'm guessing, was pretending to be drunk and approached me for some change. He cleverly stumbled around, braced himself against my chest at one point and then moved along into the crowd. You almost have to respect the skill involved in the whole performance, from the acting to the deft and lightning fast unzip-->pluck movement, which would probably entail a cat-like dexterity that was precisely the type of move you wouldn't expect from a drunk. Misdirection through the embodiment of a clumsy oaf.
The last post is quite right. London has become a bottom-feeding dump, a criminal's and thug's haunt. Policing is regarded as borderline racist, so there are no police. Just a lot of disconnected cameras the British are too poor to switch on. Pick away, people of the planet - there will be no comeback!
I have only been pickpocketed 1 time in over 20 years of travel and this was in December 2017, I had my phone taken from my coat pocket while going through a metro turn style... didn't think anything of the tug I felt because thought my coat got hung up. I had put the phone in my right pocket which I never do because my left side is protected by my arm and my purse (zipped and under my arm) plus this was the first full day I was there and I was jet-lagged and dealing with a probable concussion I had gotten the night before.... ugh. I never carry designer purses, (always a cheapo bag) don't wear my expensive jewelry etc... just was inattentive this time.
when i go to NYC or aboard i wear a f***y pack, i never carry large sums of cash and one card that i can turn off on my phone if it goes missing and i dont like ppl too close to me like back up!
No matter how safe one can feel, you don't go around with your bag opened and everything important on public display. Not only you can get robbed (yes, Japan & Korea are pretty much exeptions), but also you can just lose it accidentaly. Unfortunately I live in a country where theft is popular, so I know how to handle theft prevention :/ Sucks.
I've been to London three times and never had a problem. I used a small messenger bag and also a mini backpack for hairbrush, lotion, umbrella. My money was in a security pouch with an uncuttable cord around my neck. It feels a bit jaded to be untrusting but foolish to walk around naively in a huge city like London. Sorry they got robbed but at the very least it wasn't at knifepoint or gunpoint.
If you are going to the UK and more especially London, don't count on any help from the police whatsoever apart from a crime number to give your insurance company.
I would put duct tape over the opening of my pockets so i can feel the picpocketer. And maybe attach a bell to valuables. *Advice* use a f***y pack
Wait i just realized why its called a f***y pack...
Load More Replies... There were a total of 4 of these women working together, so even if they were caught red-handed and a confrontation ensued, it wouldn't look good for the 2 tourist ladies. I'm sure those 4 women wouldn't do their thing on a group larger than them.
If your a guy, carry your wallet in your front pocket. learned that long ago after losing $700.
Welcome to Europe! Where especially Roma, Pikey, Sinti and traveling packs of Romanian, Bulgarian or Albanian thieves are highly thankfull for your filled wallets full of free tourist money ;-) & Don't forget our "perfectly integrated Morrocan citizens" who are the true champions of every European nation's top criminal lists (killings, murders, robberies & especially raping). Oh and yeah: thousands & thousands of CRIMINAL fake refugees, who for some reason can't be returned towards their own lands, will grand you the warmest of welcomes! Especially our female population & our entire LBGTQ community (who seem to be always in need of another raping or severe name calling when simply walking in the streets) are extremely exhilarated that all these lovely, lovely, highly adjusted individuals with have been added towards European Society.
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