We are extra vigilant while travelling in Europe. Pick pocketing is considered to be a fine art in this continent, especially when applied against travellers. I have experienced theft a couple of times (in Vienna and Rome) and an attempted one in Berlin. Every time we make changes so that the same type of attempt is not repeated. We reduce the stuff we carry while negotiating the streets of a European city. Also, whatever we carry is in a secured place, either in a pouch inside our garments or in a backpack carried in front. In addition, I have a travel trouser, given as a gift by my sister-in-law, that has pockets protected both by zippers and flaps. Finally, we have Plan B in case any of the things we are carrying gets stolen…phones, wallet, laptop, or passports.
Thanks to our vigilance, we thwarted an attempt in Athens.
We were waiting for a friend to pick us up from our hotel. I was waiting at the curb, while Meera was sitting on a chair in a closed part of a café outside the hotel. A guy went to her backside for a few minutes and then disappeared. Meera noticed him but thought nothing of the incidence. Then, another fellow appeared and started talking to us. “Where are you from”. Meera started answering but I stopped her. Then he pointed at Meera and said that there is bird shit on your back. Now we were fully vigilant. We had heard of a scam where the fellow would offer to get it cleaned up at a tap nearby and then try to rob you while you are distracted. In our case, Meera just retreated inside the hotel.
Surly, there was some “shit” on her back that was not caused by a bird, but by the accomplice who had gone behind her with some sort of squirt gun. I asked the receptionist for a napkin to clean up. Then, suddenly a woman appeared with a wet towel and helped clean up. We don’t know if she was a Good Samaritan or an accomplice.
Soon, the friend we were waiting for appeared in a taxi and we went in. This was the end of the incidence but Meera was shaken up.
We are still not sure what the thieving dudes were attempting to do. Did they expect that Meera would follow them to a secluded spot for clean up? Did they feel that she would be so distracted by the bird poop that her purse would become an easy target to snatch? Or, they were just practicing their art for further refinement? We don't know.