10 Things to KNOW to OUTSMART Pickpockets in Paris

the Paris Metro is super convenient and easy to use in Paris to go to from point A to point B and it's also famous for pickpockets so in this video we're going to give you 10 tips on how to outsmart those sneaky shirts are things before we start let me address a few things that you need to know number one the vast majority of you will not encounter a pickpocket in the metro in Paris and the overwhelming number of fans we talk to often say I don't know what the hype is all about I felt

safe and didn't see anything that scared me that's because there are a lot more of you than they are of them so from a statistical standpoint you have less than a one percent chance to have to deal with it and I'll tell you later in the video what and how it happened to us but even if it's just a one percent chance that you will encounter a big pocket you want to be your lord so it doesn't ruin your stay number two the big pockets is not a Parisian thing the same applies to any big

touristic destination like London Rome Madrid or New York City when you have distracted tourists with cash invaluable it's bound to attract thieves that want to take advantage of that and number three pickpockets in Paris are never violent it's not a grab your stuff or physical altercation it's very sneaky and you won't know it happen until it's too late they want to steal your stuff without confrontation and especially without getting caught so let's get started with our top 10 tip Colleen give us your first tip tip number one avoid crowded areas as much as possible pickpockets

take advantage of crowds and people being packed together in the trains to make their moves we often skip a train if it's too packed and we pay attention to what part of the platform is the busiest sometimes it's more packed at the beginning or the end and not as much in the middle but pay attention to where the people are gathering on the platform and there are usually metros every three minutes or so so you won't have to wait too long and we aim for the train with the least people on it pay attention to

the timing board which will tell you when the next train is coming and more likely than not it's just a few minutes and that'll be a lot less crowded many times we let a couple of them pass before we get on board and it's important to note that the Metro can get very crowded between seven and nine in the morning and four to seven in the afternoon so Rush Hour matters and avoid those times if possible number two pickpockets are usually on the platforms waiting for their next victim once they spot someone that looks like

an easy target they wait for the train to arrive and get in right behind you when I arrive on the platform I like to walk almost the entire length of the platform so I can see who's there and what they're up to I make peaceful eye contact that says I saw you and I'll keep walking if I see a couple of people that look suspicious a non-suspicious person is usually alone and they're on their phone minding their own business and it's suspicious people or two or three together and they're looking at the other passengers not

talking and carrying bats they're on the lookout for victim and they often look like regular people if they follow me and that has happened a couple of times I'll pretend to get ready to get in and I'll back away at the last minute but whatever you do don't let them get behind you number three make sure that everything valuable is zipped up tight last year Antoine and I were on a train all pressed tight together in a crowd and Antoine found a guy with his fingers inside the front pocket of his jeans he gave him

an earful and yelled in both French and English and the guy quickly got off the train and one thing that's important is they don't want to be caught or seen so if you make a huge stink they'll run everything we have that's valuable is either an Antoine's crossbody bag in my purse that's inside my coat and held tight in my lap an Antoine's jeans Pockets he's got used masks and tissues so if that's what they want to get have at it but we don't put anything valuable anywhere they can get it the fourth tip is

once you get inside the train never stay near the front door try to get as further back as you can pickpockets will make their move and get off as quickly as they can the area near the door is the strike zone for pickpockets I like to go to the back with my back against the wall facing out so I can see what's going on I'll scan the train and see who's there pickpockets will strike when we're all packed together during peak hours that's when they'll press themselves next to you hide their hands with a bag

try to unzip your bag grab something really anything and quickly walk out and that happens in a Split Second number five have each other's back when we get on a crowded train and we can't get our back against the wall we watch each other's backs we face each other and we pay attention to who's behind one another we're a lot more relaxed when the train is nearly empty or when we can get a seat away from the door and when you exit the train you want to be careful if there's a large crowd at the

door we normally pick the door that has the least number of people exiting from it six pickpockets never work alone they work as a team some of them will use the art of distraction or act weird a few months back a guy came next to me and started to act weird and talk to himself loudly from the corner of my eye I saw his hand move towards my jacket pocket and I gave him the death stare and I moved back he was expecting me to avoid eye contact because of this weird Behavior he got off

the train and two other women were with him the guy that was trying to put his hand in my jean pocket also had a guy that got off with him big pocketing is a team sport pay attention to who else is involved here number seven when you're exiting the train pay attention to people blocking the doors we've heard about this trick and we've seen some people try it where the train arrives at the station and a guy in front of the door won't open it and he doesn't open it on purpose because he's creating a

little bit of chaos people start to panic when they're trying to get off the train because they don't want to miss their stop but when people are pushing forward that's when his partner in the back gets to work because while everybody is squeezed in there and tight together you don't know who's reaching in your pockets and who's just trying to get off a train and it all happens while you're distracted trying to get off the train it only takes a few seconds if your belongings are not secure so if people are pressing against you trying

to get off the train don't push forward push back and if you end up getting off at the next station and circling back or walking a little extra to your destination it's worth it to avoid the pickpocket [Music] number eight beware of groups of children's and teens that are roaming together and I'm sorry to say that but they are all mostly from Eastern Europe and when you see them you'll know exactly what I'm talking about we've seen them mostly in the summertime and they can be very Brazen and sometimes a bit aggressive they'll ask for

money or ask for a petition to be signed while the others are trying to steal your stuff be super careful and stay away from them they also operate with the art of distractions and they look for the Good Samaritan type of people be firm and direct with know and keep your eyes on all of them and make no mistake about that there is an adult behind that scheme another place to be careful is buy ticket booths and vending machines this is another place to be careful it's a bit less than inside the trains because there

are cameras but there's still a hot spot the only time a pickpocket was able to steal something from us was at a ticket machine while we were putting more rides on our navigo cart it was late and we were tired like very tired after a long day of shooting videos it was at one of those stations that's famous for pickpockets the Tulare station I was looking over Antoine's shoulder just leaning against the wall and in a split second they grabbed a camera out of my backpack and by the time I noticed it was all too

late I didn't even see it or feel it happen so here's an important tip only buy or refill your navigo cards in a quiet smaller station away from touristic areas but if you can't and need to buy a ticket in a touristic Metro station then have somebody watch your back while you're making the purchase they work as teams and you need to work as a team too one person buys the ticket and the other one watches what's going on and you may want to put worthless stuff on the top of your bag with more valuable

stuff at the bottom and if somebody comes to offer to help you don't accept the help parisians won't offer to help you unless you ask so if somebody's coming and offering to help you it would be suspicious to me sweet all right and finally not the entire metro system in Paris is full of pickpockets they are where the tourists are of course so line one and line four is where I'll always be alert especially if it's busy and crowded but all the stations at the main attractions at Major train stations is where you could encounter

a pickpocket hotspot Metro stations or gardenor Leal Lulu beer I came near the Eiffel Tower and pretty much every station between the Ogden Triomphe and Galileo on line one so if you follow those simple and common says guidelines you shouldn't have any problem and it's important to understand that chances are you will not experience or see a pickpocket during your stay Colin and I are in the Metro two to three times per week in all of the touristic Metro stations for the last two years and it's mostly uneventful by a long shot so just remember

to be alert when you're in the Metro and have yourself good time [Music] waiting for [Music]