Christmas shoppers on the pickpocket’s target bullseye

GjensidigePhoto: Gjensidige

There are triple the number of pickpockets active in December compared to the rest of the year.

 

The busy shopping streets of Norway and abroad also attract more skilled pickpockets, and December provides most exposure, according to Gjensidige statistics.

‘Whether you are in London, Barcelona or Trondheim, be aware if you are in typically vulnerable areas. Public places with a lot of people and hustle and bustle, such as Christmas markets, cafes, stops and public transport, are popular targets for pickpockets around the world,’ said tourism expert,Lene Hasler, of Gjensidige.

The expert said pickpockets can turn out at any time of the day, but predominate at afternoons, and in the evenings on weekends.

‘Anyone can be exposed, but we tend to see the thieves targetting people with reduced ability to take care of their things. It can be anybody from the elderly, and
disabled, to those with distressed toddlers, and drunk people on their way home from the city’, said Hasler.

The expert said pickpockets often operate in groups of anywhere from two to eight people, and the thefts are rarely random. Therefore, she advised to be aware if you have just withdrawn money in an ATM, or just used your cell phone, as thpickpockets
observe where you put your things away.

‘We Norwegians like to think about people. It’s basically a good feature, but the pickpockets exploit this. Professional pickpockets are hard to overcome, but there are some precautions you can take and some tricks one should be aware of’, said Hasler.

Source:  Gjensidige / Norway Today