Pickpockets and tourist scams are an unfortunate reality in some destinations, particularly busy tourist spots, but a little awareness and a few precautions make you a much harder target. This guide explains how to avoid pickpockets and tourist scams. It is general information and not a substitute for official advice, so check the FCDO guidance for your destination and use your judgement, but the practical tips below will help you protect yourself and your belongings.
Where pickpockets operate
Pickpockets favour crowded places where they can work unnoticed and people are distracted, such as busy tourist attractions, public transport, markets, festivals and nightlife areas. Knowing where the risk is highest helps you raise your guard. Understanding that pickpocketing thrives on crowds and distraction, and being especially alert in those settings, is the foundation of protecting yourself. Most pickpocketing happens in predictable, busy locations, so heightened awareness in those specific situations goes a long way to keeping your belongings safe.
Keep your valuables secure
Keep your valuables secure and out of easy reach, carrying money, cards and documents in zipped, inside or front pockets rather than exposed back pockets or open bags. Use the hotel safe for what you do not need. Our guide on staying safe abroad covers protecting belongings. Carrying your valuables in secure, hard-to-reach places, and leaving spare cash and documents safely in your accommodation, makes you a much harder target than someone with a phone in a back pocket or an open, unattended bag.
Use anti-theft bags and money belts
Consider anti-theft measures like bags with secure zips and slash-resistant straps, or a money belt worn under clothing for valuables and spare cash. These make theft harder and give peace of mind. Using a secure bag worn properly, and keeping your most important items in a money belt or hidden pouch, adds a layer of protection that deters opportunist thieves. While no measure is foolproof, making your valuables harder to access discourages pickpockets, who prefer easy targets and tend to move on from well-secured belongings.
Stay alert in crowds
Stay alert in crowded places, keeping awareness of your belongings and surroundings, as distraction is the pickpocket's main tool. Being engrossed in your phone, a map or a sight makes you an easier target. Keeping a hand on or an eye on your bag in crowds, and staying aware rather than oblivious, is one of the most effective defences. Simple vigilance in busy areas, where you consciously mind your belongings and notice what is around you, makes it far harder for a pickpocket to operate without you noticing.
Do not flash your valuables
Avoid drawing attention to valuables by not flashing expensive phones, cameras, jewellery or wads of cash, which can mark you as a target. Keep them discreet and take out only what you need. Being low-key about your valuables, rather than displaying them, reduces the chance of attracting a thief's interest. Not advertising that you are carrying expensive or desirable items, and handling money discreetly rather than openly counting large amounts, helps you blend in and avoid being singled out as a worthwhile target.
Know the common scams
Tourist scams take many forms, such as distraction tricks where one person diverts you while another steals, people posing as officials, overcharging, fake petitions, and too-good-to-be-true offers. Being aware of common ploys helps you recognise and avoid them. Familiarising yourself with the typical scams, particularly distraction techniques and impersonation, means you are less likely to be caught out. Many scams rely on surprise and your good nature, so knowing the patterns in advance lets you spot and sidestep them when they occur.
Be wary of distractions
Be cautious when something unexpectedly distracts you, such as someone bumping into you, spilling something, asking for help, or creating a commotion, as this can be a deliberate ploy while an accomplice steals from you. Keep a hand on your belongings during any distraction. Recognising that a sudden distraction may be staged, and instinctively protecting your valuables rather than being drawn in, defeats one of the most common pickpocketing methods. Staying composed and mindful of your belongings during any unexpected interruption is an effective defence.
Be cautious with strangers and offers
Be wary of unsolicited approaches, overly friendly strangers, and offers that seem too good to be true, as these can lead to scams or theft. Politely decline and move on if something feels off. Our guide on staying safe abroad covers trusting your instincts. Keeping a healthy caution about strangers who approach you with deals, help or distractions, while not being rude, helps you avoid scams. Most genuine locals are friendly and harmless, but a sensible wariness of unsolicited offers protects you from the minority who are not.
Secure your bag
Carry your bag securely, worn across your body, zipped, and on the front in crowds, rather than loosely on one shoulder or hanging open where it is easy to dip into or snatch. A well-carried bag is much safer. Holding your bag close and secure, particularly in crowded or risky areas, deters both pickpockets and bag snatchers. The way you carry your bag makes a real difference, so a closed, cross-body bag kept in front of you in crowds is far safer than a loose or open one.
Split your money
Do not keep all your money and cards in one place, as that risks losing everything at once. Split them between secure locations on your person and in your accommodation, keeping a backup separately. Our guide on what to do if your card is lost or stolen abroad covers backups. Spreading your money and cards so that a single theft cannot take everything, and keeping a reserve apart, means that even if you are targeted, you are not left with nothing, which greatly reduces the impact of any loss.
Research scams at your destination
Before you travel, research the common scams at your specific destination, as these vary by place and knowing the local tricks helps you spot them. Travel guides, forums and official advice often describe them. Our guide on checking FCDO travel advice can point to safety information. Finding out about the particular scams that operate where you are going, so you recognise them if encountered, gives you a real advantage, as a scam you are expecting is far easier to avoid than one that takes you by surprise.
If you are targeted
If you are pickpocketed or scammed, stay calm, report it to the local police for any insurance claim or record, cancel any stolen cards quickly, and use your backups. Our guide on what to do if your card is lost or stolen abroad covers the steps. Knowing how to respond if the worst happens, by reporting it, securing your remaining money and cards, and using your backups, helps you deal with theft or a scam efficiently and limit the damage, turning a bad moment into something manageable rather than a disaster.
In short
To avoid pickpockets and tourist scams, stay alert in crowded places where they operate, keep valuables secure and out of reach, and consider anti-theft bags or a money belt. Do not flash valuables, learn the common scams and distraction tricks, and be wary of unsolicited strangers and offers. Carry your bag securely, split your money, and research scams at your destination. If targeted, report it and use your backups. This is general information, not a substitute for official advice.
Explore more in our Health & Safety Abroad guides.