Watch-stealing
byWristwatches are a classic subject of seizure. The problem is not widespread, but concentrated largely in specific locales. Naples, Italy, is only one of…
Thieves
Where does your pickpocketed stuff go?
byJewelry, watches, pens, wallets… Ever wonder where all that pickpocketed stuff goes? Think Mrs. Pickpocket is decked out in your stolen pearls and Swatch,…
How pickpockets take advantage of natural distractions
byLONDON—Anthony Powell hovered on the fringes of Princess Diana’s funeral, lifting wallets from the handbags and pockets of devastated mourners. Princess Diana’s funeral! He…
How pickpockets use razor blades
byA Close Shave, or, Honey, There’s a Hole in my Handbag Archil Zantaradze keeps a razor blade in his mouth the way someone else…
A thief at the theater
byOn a trip to London, Diane Breitman went to see the hit musical Mamma Mia at Prince Edward’s Theatre in Soho. She had seat…
Masked man “swapped boarding pass”?
byNo reports expand on the claim that this ballsy Asian impostor “swapped boarding passes with a U.S. citizen and passenger who was born in…
“Needed the money—sorry”
byI’m happy to report a bag theft that ended with a smile. Jay and Lyn Smith, of Tallahassee, took their 18-year-old son on his…
Spilled secrets
byI guess I spoke too soon and too much about our documentary project. I held back information, but not enough. Our producer has asked…
Raising antennas
byComing down. Feels strange trying to write ordinary blog stuff after all the excitement covered in my previous 22 posts. As Bob and I…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—21
byDenouement. None of us wanted to leave the park. After the demos, the dinner, and the as-yet-untold experience on the buses, after the conversation,…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—20
byBob gets cold feet. Overnight, reality began to percolate and bubble over the exhilaration of yesterday’s thieves’ challenge. By morning it was clear to…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—19
byDinner with thieves, again. But wait— there’s more! The day isn’t done. And though we want nothing more than to sit and process our…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—18
byDinner with thieves, continued. Carafes of white wine land on the table. I join Andy and Lou and have beer. Among much laughter, the…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—17
byDinner with thieves. It’s 3:00. The film crew’s still perfecting camera angles, lighting, and table arrangements. I’ve taken my seat as requested, so cameras…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—16
byAnticipation. Frank has RSVPed by email, with enthusiasm. But what about the others? Will they come to our dinner? I wonder about the restaurant…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—15
byThieves find us, more. It was a big day for us, and for the whole documentary team. The lowlifers stealing Bob’s wallet, finding Marc…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—14
byThieves find us, continued. We’re not looking for pickpockets; just busy filming pickup shots on the bus for the documentary, when known thieves Marc…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—13
byThieves find us. “Police, police! She took my wallet!” That’s Bob screaming at ear-splitting volume. Not his usual reaction to pickpocketing! Usually, he turns…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—10
byDay Two, Meeting with Thieves. It rained. We stood waiting in the drizzle in a park behind some kiddie carnival rides, pretty certain they…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—9
byThiefhunting, Day One, still more. This is an old-fashioned town, lightly touched by the 21st century. Vendors ply the streets like the horse-and-buggy days…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—8
byThiefhunting, Day One, more. We’ve been standing in the tiny coffee bar more than an hour, speaking loudly. Eventually, the owner throws us out….
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—7
byThiefhunting, Day One, continued. Bob and I were on a high, having found a talented pickpocket team on the first bus ride of our…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—6
byThiefhunting, Day One, continued. As we synchronize our thiefhunting plans with the film crew, I’m newly appreciative of Michele, our London-based sound recordist, who…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—5
byThiefhunting, Day One. Fully half the day is spent rigging hidden cameras. I’m wearing a button camera attached to an awful button-down shirt that…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—4
bySix of us—locked into a small, sweltering room. We’d done interviews in the convent refectory all day, first Bob, then I. Some of the…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves—3
by“They’ve bugged our room,” I postulated to Bob in the taxi from the airport. “I bet they hid video cameras inside.” That aspect of…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves-2
by“Are you wearing a bra?” That was one of the first sentences directed to me upon landing. We did not collect our luggage because…
Bob Arno and Bambi in a den of thieves
byTime to make an announcement. Our long-dreamed of, long-worked for project has become reality. Bob and I are making a documentary about pickpockets. The…
Credit card shimming
byirst there was skimming, now there’s shimming,” says Kim Thomas, former Las Vegas Metro Detective, now an international authority on forgery. Information on this…
Hotel room theft by door-pushers
by“Door-pushers” are a problem in some cities. These thieves saunter down the long corridors of giant hotels with their arms outstretched, methodically pushing on…