What To Do If You Get Pickpocketed Abroad

You are surrounded by stunning scenery, gorgeous heritage sites, fantastic food when you travel to another country. And, sadly, pickpockets too.

All too often people fall prey to pickpockets while travelling. It is a fairly common occurrence as they tend to target tourists in particular. In fact there are certain sites in some countries where pickpockets hang out looking for gullible tourists 

Here's what you can do if it happens to you. 

Take These Steps When Pickpocketed

Time is of the essence. First off, cancel your cards by getting in touch with your bank at the earliest. Try going to a neighbouring hotel and explaining what happened and that you need to make an emergency call. Or try contacting the embassy of your country and asking them for the numbers if you don't have access to a computer to check out your banks' phone numbers.

If your phone has been taken, make sure you  cancel all the services on your phone and file a report. Head to a police station so that you get access to a phone and can also file the report.

In case your passport is stolen, head to the embassy and ask for the issuance of an emergency passport so that you can travel back to your country.

If you don&rsquot have the cash handy, try reaching out to your family members via Facebook or Instagram video calls so that they can send you money, and you can collect it from services like Western Union. The embassy, too, helps you to fly back, but this can be very expensive to reach back to your country so keep this as the last option.

Save Yourself From Being Pickpocketed 

Keep your bags in front and close to your chest so that they don&rsquot get easy access. Hanging them on the side or at the back makes it easier for the thieves to get a hold of your bags. You can choose to wear a money belt instead. 

Avoid wearing something that looks unusual and puts you on the spot. Put on artificial jewellery and watches if you wish to in order to avoid any regrets, if they get taken away. 

Do not carry a huge amount of cash with you. Pay everywhere using cards as they can be easily cancelled in case of theft. 

Be cautious of where you are and what you are doing. Do not put your phones or wallets on the table. Also, distribute your valuables and carry them in different bags so that you do not lose everything at once.