Traveling to or living abroad in Europe is a dream that many of us have. However, like with all things, there’re downsides to this dream too.
Recently, Malaysian model and content creator, Batrisyia made a video on her TikTok account sharing her experience of being pickpocketed and warning others of pickpockets in Europe.
“Pickpocketing. You might’ve heard of this, but it is actually super common,” she said, after having her phone pickpocketed at a clothing store.
Where to keep your phones
“Never ever put your phone in your jacket pocket.”
“I left my phone in my pocket for two seconds because I wanted to take a look at a piece of clothing. When I put the clothing back on the rack and reached for my phone, it was gone,” Batrisyia said of her experience.
“If you really have to keep your phone in your pocket, make sure your hand never leaves your phone. Even my friends’ whose jacket pockets were deep had their phones pickpocketed.”
Instead, Batrisyia suggests keeping your phones on the inside of your zip-up jacket and in a zipped bag. You should also always be able to see your bag in front of you!
“Or if your pockets have zips, it’s okay as well, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Target people and places
According to Batrisyia, the common places you could get pickpocketed are public transport, clothing stores, restaurants and sidewalks. This is because victims are usually distracted when they’re at these places, making it easier for pickpocketers to steal things.
She also listed a few European cities where pickpocketing is more rampant and they are Barcelona, Paris, London, Prague, Rome. However, it’s still advised to be careful wherever you go, especially if you’re in Europe.
“They always target students and foreigners because they know that these people are new to the city and they just put their phones everywhere.”
If your phone gets pickpocketed
Finally, in the case that your phone does get stolen, and you’re using an iPhone, Batrisyia recommends immediately logging into your iCloud on another device and putting your phone on “Lost Mode”.
“Once you put your phone on ‘Lost Mode’, the pickpocketers will not be able to use your phone AT ALL, no matter what. Even if they reset the phone, it’s unusable.”
“You can also delete all the data on your iPhone through iCloud. And always back up your photos.”
Watch the full video below:
@applekwumble dah lama nak buat reminder because i selalu dengar pasal kes penyeluk saku tapi tak ambil serious. please be careful sebab polis di europe takkan bantu langsung
So, if you’re travelling to Europe, make sure to always stay proactive! Losing your wallets or phones would be disastrous.
WATCH: SG Tourist Loses RM5.4k After Being Targeted By Pickpockets Near Bangkok Shrine
