I have just returned from Paris where I became the unfortunate victim of a thief who took my backpack while I was dining with a friend at %26quot;Au Trappiste%26quot; restaurant. It was a terrible experience made worse by the seeming indifference from some of the people I had to deal with immediately afterwards. Despite being in a crowded restaurant with a staff posted at the door nobody saw anything. I had to ask to fill out a police report so that I could have some documentation to show to get a new passport, etc. It appears that this is a very common occurance in Paris yet people don%26#39;t like to talk about it. Why else would the police have the phone number to the credit card company readily available? The police even have a central lost and found if you are lucky enough to get anything back. There were several other unfortuante victims at the embassy. I%26#39;m sure if word got out tourists may be reluctant to visit. I am almost positive I was targeted because my friend, who is French, and I were speaking English. I know I will never return to Paris. If you go I would strongly suggest wearing a money belt, leaving anything extra in a room safe and don%26#39;t act like a tourist. All things I know but failed to practice. I paid dearly for my mistake.
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That is unfortunate.
%26gt; Despite being in a crowded restaurant with a staff posted at the door nobody saw anything. %26lt;
The thieves are professionals. No-one would have seen anything.
%26gt; It appears that this is a very common occurance in Paris yet people don%26#39;t like to talk about it. %26lt;
It%26#39;s common in many large cities.
%26gt; Why else would the police have the phone number to the credit card company readily available? %26lt;
Because people are always loosing their things as well as having them stolen.
%26gt; I%26#39;m sure if word got out tourists may be reluctant to visit. %26lt;
It%26#39;s not secret. How much research did you do before visiting?
%26gt; I am almost positive I was targeted because my friend, who is French, and I were speaking English. %26lt;
I%26#39;d like to see your evidence on this. Thieves tend to go for what%26#39;s easiest - nationality is probably irrelevant.
I had my bag stolen once in London (where I live). I know how much of a drag it is.
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Sorry this happened to you,, but it IS well known that one needs to be careful,, in Paris, in Rome, in many large cities.. you obviously did very little research,, and are not well travelled. That is not a crime,, but if you had even read this forum for a week you would have been aware of the pickpockets,, but really, I live in small Canadian city,, and I am careful even at home... this is obviously not a habit for you.. you must live somehwere very nice.
YOu have said nothing that has not been said a million times.. unfortunately for you,, you had not read it before you went.
As for it preventing others from going,, you have got to be kidding,, people will always travel to Europe.. I was almost pickpocketed in Paris when I was 23, I caught the guy almost in my purse, he got away,, I was relieved,, and alot more watchful after that. That incident was decades ago,, and I have been back more then a dozen times since..LOL, alone, alone with my child ,, with a friend,, it doesn%26#39;t matter. Travel smarter and use more caution next time( I am sure you will) and this doesn%26#39;t ever have to happen to you again.
I really feel you are just very young and come from a very small place,, a New Yorker would not be surprised the way you are by the polices non chalance,,
PS.. What people don%26#39;t like to talk about it,, LOL we all do( talk about it) here.
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1) If you didn%26#39;t see anything, and your friend didn%26#39;t see anything, why would the staff have seen anything?
2)It does happen daily in this city, but not talking about? It is announced at every metro station several times a day.
3) The lost and found is for.. uh lost items. Taxi drivers pass by every day with what was left behind in their cab.
4)You were targeted because your bag was EASY pickings. It was not on your lap, or wrapped around you ankle, where it belongs!
5) Money belts are not necessary if you follow the above (bag on body, at all times). Of course, you leave your passport in the hotel safe. Even the embassy recommends it. And you can act like a tourist, just not a stupid one.
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I%26#39;m sorry you had this horrible experience.
It is a question of research: when I go to Germany, I%26#39;m horrified at how my (German) friend will leave her handbag on the chair next to her, and she%26#39;s never, ever had it stolen.
I%26#39;m a bit more laidback about it in Germany myself but everywhere else I operate with the same defensiveness about my property as I do here in England - where I%26#39;ve also been robbed.
In your case, you were unfortunate and the police were efficient - but being the victim of crime is a shattering experience, no matter how common it is as a statistic. I hope you feel better soon.
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It is a shame this experience has tainted your view of Paris. I was aware prior to going of pickpockets etc so I made sure I kept a watchful eye and also my boyfriend telling me every two secs to watch my bag (although it got on my nerves) helped also. I saw signs about watching pickpockets and heard announcements in the metro and in most of the tourist attractions which I feel reinforced what I already knew. It is unfortunate that this happened but it could happen anywhere in the world so don%26#39;t let it stop you from travelling and even revisiting Paris. Just be more aware :-)
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Never mind where you travel in the world, you never leave your money/passport/credit cards etc in a bag slung at the back of a chair or anywhere else.
These items should be on you at all times. For that reason we travel with those items in a moonbag or know as a %26quot;fannybag%26quot; I think in the US. There no one is able to steal them from you.
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I agree that it%26#39;s too bad, but I see that you were able to obtain a new passport - otherwise you%26#39;d still be overseas - so some of your planning worked out, at least.
I have one question: would you have allowed your backpack to be out of your sight while you were dining in, say, Hartford? Probably not, and Hartford is a much smaller community than Paris.
It%26#39;s unfortunate that there are still tourists who don%26#39;t seem to believe us when we advise to keep belongings close at hand, and in sight. Paris is a city with a huge population, so it%26#39;s not outrageous to think that there might be some bad apples among them. No matter where you go, I think you%26#39;ll find folks who can resist anything but temptation, if I might quote a local. You%26#39;re preaching to the choir when you advise wearing a money belt, etc. We post it over and over again.
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%26gt; Never mind where you travel in the world, you never leave your money/passport/credit cards etc in a bag slung at the back of a chair or anywhere else. %26lt;
Best not to be carrying your passport and all your cards with you in the first place.
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%26gt; You%26#39;re preaching to the choir when you advise wearing a money belt, etc. We post it over and over again. %26lt;
Well, perhaps preaching to half the congregation. I don%26#39;t wear a moneybelt at home and I%26#39;m not going to wear one when I travel. Having said that, it%26#39;s perhaps a cultural thing - British travel guides don%26#39;t tend to push them.
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I tend to agree with you in relation to moneybelts- it is definitely not something I see here in Northern Ireland and I certainly wouldn%26#39;t use one because I%26#39;m not used to doing so and don%26#39;t particulary want to. I think you can still be safe if you just take extra care when carrying items and as has been mentioned don%26#39;t carry around all your vital worldy goods unless absolutely necessary- keep them in the safe at the hotel. When I was out an about I took my passport because I needed to prove I was under 26 to get in free to some places. I carried this and enough money to get me through the day inside a regular handbag but I kept hold of it at all times it was both around my shoulder and in my hand :-) It pays to take extra care and attention when out an about
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