5 Tips On Preventing Being Pickpocketed In Praha
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger
One of the ugliest things in an otherwise pretty city – besides a few of the square, gray and dull buildings left over from the communist era – are the pickpockets.
Prague is full of them and if you’re not careful you can be like the guy PubClub.com saw at the train station who was wearing cargo shorts with the bottom of the pockets on both sides sliced with such precision it looked like a surgeon’s knife had sliced them.
“I didn’t even know it happened,” the guy said, his tone of voice showing obvious frustration at the situation. “All I noticed was a breeze on my legs and looked down to see the pockets were cut. I never felt anything.”
So how can one avoid this happening to you?
Here’s a few simple steps from PubClub, relayed by an American friend who now lives in Prague.
1.) Avoid putting your money in the front pockets of your cargo shorts.
This may seem obvious now but as our friend told us, keep your wallet in your back pocket. And even that is not always a safe place, as you will learn as you continue reading this article.
2.) Avoid Wenceslas Square. Particularly at night.
This is the wide boulevard that looks inviting, but is really the prime hunting ground of the pickpockets. Especially after dark.
3.) You’re fine hanging out in Old Town Square but always – always – be on the alert for pickpockets.
Know they are there, know they are clever and stealth and know that this is a potential problem when visiting Prague.
4.) Watch out for the hookers as well as the gypsies.
This tip saved PubClub from being a victim.
It was late one night and we were coming back from the bars. Before our friend had advised us otherwise, we had gotten a room on Wenceslas Square. Everything was fine until the very second – and I mean the very second – we turned the corner and stepped onto xxxx, two girls came out of nowhere and attached themselves to us.
Not only that, but they each reached down and grabbed our crotches. Squeezed and started massaging our manhood, in fact. Yet because of what our friend said, I reached back for my wallet and found the other girl’s hand attached to it.
They were using the penis grab as a distraction – very creative, I thought, but not creative enough to be rewarded with my wallet – and we were able to pry their hands away from both the front and back of our pants.
Had our local friend not warned us about pickpockets on the xxxx and to watch out for even the hookers, then we would have had our wallets swiped while our attention was diverted elsewhere.
5.) Be aware of your surroundings. And those surrounding you.
As you’ve learned in point #4, pickpockets like to create diversions. So be on the alert for any activity – kids trying to run between your legs, a commotion when you walk by someone – that gets your mind away from your wallet or purse.
If you encounter this, put your hand on your wallet or grab your purse tightly. Chances are, they pickpockets won’t bother you when you do this; they want an easy, unassuming victim, not someone on high alert that can cause a struggle.
Overall, PubClub had a wonderful, pickpocket-free experience in Prague. We walked everywhere at all hours of the day and night without any problems.
And it’s all because that friend had warned us and told us to take certain precautions, and that’s what PubClub is doing for you with this article.
So enjoy your visit to Prague!
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