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Did my friend have his pocket picked?

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by mrem3200, May 20, 2019.

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  1. Burnsie

    Burnsie VP Low-Roller

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    Heh. If a hooker grabbed a $1000 chip out of his pants lying on the floor while he was in the bathroom, is it still pickpocketing?

    Gotta consult the Magic 8-Ball on that...
     
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  2. jr7110

    jr7110 VIP Whale

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    If your friend had only the $1,000 chip in that one pocket, then there is a very good chance he might have been pickpocketed. If he had a bunch of chips in there...well, even the best pickpocket can't get into a pocket, find the only $1,000 chip in the pile and get out undetected.

    What people don't realize is that the pickpocket is very rarely one person operating alone. They operate in groups of two or three - one might create a diversion (like the bumping into someone) and the other does the pinch. This is how it is done in foreign countries like Barcelona, where they work in larger teams and have all kinds of tricks to separate you from your wallet. By the time you realize what has happened, your wallet is long gone, passed off into the crowd and far away.

    We should never forget that at any destination where there are tourists carrying considerable sums of money for entertainment, there WILL be people there with the intention of separating those tourists from their money. Not to mention tourists who have been drinking heavily and/or using other substances. Yes, we all go to Las Vegas to have fun and want to have a carefree vacation, but you always have to have the possibility in the back of your mind that you are being watched, and protect yourself accordingly. I wear a small backpack when I walk around the Strip, and after an incident years ago where someone behind me tried to get into one of the pockets, I secure the main compartment with the valuable stuff by using a small TSA lock. This way no one except me can get in there.

    There are all kinds of distraction techniques (someone will tell a woman sitting at a slot machine that she has dropped a dollar and when she bends over to pick it up, the accomplice snatches her purse) etc and unfortunately it's better to be a little jaded going in than be completely trusting and end up in a bad situation. Luckily, being a Native New Yorker, I come jaded from the factory, so I am always on high alert in those situations!

    Here is an article I found from ten years ago abut how these pickpockets operate in Las Vegas, but it is still very relevant today. For those who insist they would know if someone had a hand in one of their pockets, read on:

    https://living-las-vegas.com/2009/09/pickpockets-las-vegas/

    This article is from about this time last year, regarding a team who were responsible for several thefts along the Strip:

    https://www.fox5vegas.com/news/metro-police-seek-suspects-tied-to-string-of-thefts-on/article_8b69ebe3-55df-5b8d-8eb9-d872ec1718f8.html
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2019
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  3. queuetee

    queuetee VIP Whale

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    DH and I were walking from the elevators to Le Cirque at Bellagio a couple of years ago and right in the middle of the rug, I spotted what looked like money folded up into an inch square. DH scooped it up and we kept walking. It turned out to be $100 bill that somebody must have tucked away since it was folded up so small. It is very easy for small things to fall out of a pocket or purse when you take something else out.
     
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