Speeder fakes carjacking
“John Smith” was driving 180 kph when he realized he’d just blasted through a speed trap outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. “Knowing the police…
“John Smith” was driving 180 kph when he realized he’d just blasted through a speed trap outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. “Knowing the police…
Does a pickpocket keep his appointments? Bob and I loitered on a corner with our interpreter. We were a unanimously doubtful trio already considering…
Our hotel room in Paris had these gorgeous bathroom doors. Each door is made of one large plate of thick translucent glass in a…
Hamburg, Germany—Undercover pickpocket cop Michael-G is the first person we’ve met who exceeds our own nutcase-level of fascination with pickpocketry. The day we spent…
The shouting at dinner surprised me. It was like the stereotypical Italian dinner: loud and full of gesturing, standing up and leaning forward, voices…
With nervousness and excitement, we are preparing to visit the home of one of those controversial figures: the thief you hate to love. Bob…
The life of a pickpocket might seem to be an easy one. Want money? Just take it. Need more? Pick a tourist from the…
The foot of Charles Bridge, in Prague, is alive with movement. People come and go, lounging and looking, snapping pictures, sipping sodas, eager not…
Yeah, we know already, like “leave a message after the beep.” But this is odd… “A towel on the rack means ‘I’ll use it…
About how to spot a thief or a pickpocket, I said in my last post that “Bob and I locked onto them the moment…
Prowling and preying with impunity, the pickpocket pair cared little about hiding their business. Yet none of the mighty swirling masses intent on going…
La Rambla, Barcelona—On observing the behavior of someone like Plaid, we label him a suspect. We follow and film, yet we can’t be certain…
La Rambla, Barcelona—On one crowded summer Sunday, Bob and I patrolled the perimeters of the street performers’ audiences. Of all the thieves and con…
China World Hotel, Beijing— Very nice room. In an effort to think of every detail, there’s a little glass shelf installed on the bathroom…
My old friend Avis perused my blog just before her recent trip to Spain. Then she wrote me, doubly concerned. She and her 25ish…
Traveler Tim Hopkins reports on an “ingenious cab scam theft.” Lessons learned, disaster averted I recently purchased two copies of your book, one for…
We received another long email last Friday from a thief we know in Naples, Italy. Between his flowery prose on the trials and tribulation…
> Even more! See edit at the bottom. 10,000 shipping containers are lost at sea each year! From my naive perspective, I’m shocked by…
I thought Kevin Mitnick was a friend of mine—but that was before I read his forthcoming book, Ghost in the Wires. Kevin’s the consummate…
Visiting the Honolulu Apple Store, Bob and I were instantly struck by the clientele. They weren’t shopping at all! They were a bunch of…
You are lucky indeed if you ever get the opportunity to experience a kaiseki meal, especially one in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn….
I have to say, there’s something rather cozy about a warm toilet seat. Definitely got used to that in Japan. I came to expect…
Starbucks has a bad rap when it comes to theft. Customers focus on their drinks, their conversations, their open computers, and thieves know it….
Beijing street food Arachnid kebob, anyone? If you haven’t lost your appetite from all the lusty hawking and spitting and splatting, your stomach will…
People often share their credit card anxiety with me. They’re afraid their cards will be lost or stolen and huge bills will be run…
Pattaya, Thailand’s got to be the seediest, one-track party-town in the world. It doesn’t pretend to be anything else. Huge signs advertising the Fcuk…
I stay in a lot of hotels, some of which are the best or most unique in the world. This one in Hong Kong—not…
Despite the focus on negative experiences compiled on this site, it is possible to travel without being ripped off. It bothers Bob and me…
The Nocturnal Sting and the Bite Skansen, Stockholm’s outdoor museum, suffered a nasty spate of pickpocketing incidents one midsummer. Up to eight known incidents…
Some years ago, before Bulgaria was part of the EU, Dodie B. and two male friends visited one of that country’s small port towns….