Pickpockets, Beggars, Crime and Scams, London

Please beware of those selling tickets outside the theatres for shows (especially ones that are sold out!). For example in 2008 I was waiting outside for a friend outside Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the musical, 'Oliver', had just opened. I overheard a Tout selling tickets to a couple for up 300 GBP each (It's an average of 60-70 GBP for a top price ticket). I discreetly warned them to visit the box office to see if there were any returns or cancellations for that sold out show. The touts can offer prices that are multiple to the face value of the ticket and it has been known that some tickets sold have been invalid.

If anyone plans to see 'The Phantom of the Opera', please be careful with whom you purchase tickets from. It has been reported that people paid for 'Royal Circle' seats (worth 60-70gbp) but ended up sitting in the 'Balcony' seats (worth 25-30 gbp!). So always double check the theatre seating plan when booking for that show and and also for others.

However, it's strongly recommended to purchase tickets at the theatre's box office or at one of their nominated agencies such as:

SeeTickets
http://www.seetickets.com/see/index.asp

Ticketmaster
http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/

Society of London Theatre
http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/

I always go to the Society of London Theatre Half Price tickets booth to book day tickets for shows as they are considerably cheaper than going to the theatres' box offices. I always feel secure booking with them especially the organisation promotes safe and secure theatregoing.

This warning could apply to anywhere in the world, I seem to see this particular con virtually everywhere we go and can't believe that there are still people who fall for this centuries old con. We happened to see this in broad daylight near Covent Garden on one of our visits and in June 2011 Westminster Bridge had at least five people set up doing this.

The basic equipment is three shells and a round object such as a pea, the con man has his ringer (always shifty looking fellows) pick the winning shell with the pea under it a couple of times, oohs and aahs come from the crowd and then the con man starts taking bets from unsuspecting tourists and taking their money in this sleight of hand.

A third conman is usually posted as a lookout, the game is always ready to travel upon the appearance of local law enforcement.

Another variation on this is three card monte, anytime you see a man with shells or cards on a paper box, feel free to watch from a safe distance but never ever plunk your money down, it's a sucker bet and you are sure to lose.

Long story short the night of the Royal Wedding my friend and I were having drinks at a pub and my purse was stolen off the back of my chair. When I told the pub staff they seemed remarkably unsurprised. So much so that it made my friend and I wonder if perhaps they have something going with somebody in the area. I actually noticed afterward that virtually every pub in the city has a nice big warning for people to watch their bags. Obviously this is a serious problem in the city so be SURE to keep your bag right in front of you at all times. I usually do but I was totally distracted by the Royal Wedding that morning and, truth be told, a big group of firefighters right outside our pub window.

I too had an experience in the south bank in London around the week of the 26th of July. I went into a small but crowded store and took money out of my bum bag to pay for some batteries when a guy bumped into me. Then before I knew what was going on this woman in a head scarf had her hand where my bum bag was. But the shop keepers started yelling "Hey hey hey!" And I pushed her away. She ran and I chased her, yelling "That woman is a pick pocket!" but no one bothered to stop her. I caught up with her and she showed me her bag, she didn't take anything (I don't think) my only regret is not placing her under citizens arrest. It turns out she didn't steal anything. But when I think about this incident I think about what she could have actually stole, I had a lot of money. If I ever go back to London I think I will just wear a shirt and put the money in different areas on my clothes. Maybe I'll tape it to my underwear just in case. But it just goes to show it can happen anywhere and at anytime. So if anyone bumps into you anywhere, keep a firm grip of your money!

I had booked a hotel through Expedia, and I had received two confirmation emails stating that the booking is approved and final. The name of the hotel is Ivy House Hotel (IHH), and its address is 18 Hugh Street London, England SW1V 1RP, United Kingdom. It is one of the cheapest hotels in central London, but I would suggest you not to choose it.

When I arrived IHH at midnight, the guy working at the reception told me that the booking was cancelled and my room had been given to someone else. He claimed that it is because my card wasn’t approved. Of course I couldn't accept it – it’s the middle of the night, and they should’ve at least informed me if it’s canceled. What was I supposed to do with all those luggage? Then he pretended to be checking something on his computer and told me, “Oh, Expedia has sent you a cancellation email yesterday. They had also called you today, maybe you've turned your phone off.” My card was working fine, my phone was turned on the whole time, and Expedia did not contact me at all. He also said, “We couldn’t contact you because Expedia didn’t give any of your details to us, you know that?” Funny, Expedia gave you my name and credit card details and everything, but not my contacts? Instantly I realised it could be a scam.

I heard from other hotels and travelers that IHH is doing the same to many other customers to try to cheat their money. Basically, they'd give their rooms to any walk-in customer even if the hotel is fully booked for the night (i.e., no vacancy.) If I did not arrive, they'd go on and charge my card, that is, charging double for one room.

But there's more. When we realise that our bookings are 'canceled', we'd probably be very anxious (especially when it's the middle of the night,) and because the guy working at IHH is so 'kind', he'd 'help' us find another hotel. He actually showed me a hotel that costs £500/night, but magically he 'helped' me to get a huge discount and made it £75. I was even more certain that it is a scam, so I rejected his offer and left. Later on, I found the hotel he showed me and it was £45/night walk-in. The second hotel told me that Ivy House send customers like me to them all the time, and, of course, they'd only pay them £45 (if it's a single room) and keep the £30 for themselves.

I’ve confirmed with Expedia that IHH should have my details, that they did not contact Expedia about the cancellation, and that Expedia had neither sent me a cancellation email nor called me on the phone. Therefore, I can at least conclude that they were definitely lying. Other reviews on Expedia also reveal that the photos IHH put on their Expedia page and their website are a misdirection of the actual crappy rooms they offer. Their rooms are tiny as a box, and dirty as hell (at least I can confirm that the lobby is extremely messy and dirty and look nothing like the photo.) The bottom line is, seriously, do not go to IHH. There are equally cheap hotels that are closer to Victoria station and would not try to cheat your money.

I've lived in London for years, know it well and have always been overly suspicious regarding the risks of pickpockets, especially in crowded areas. However, I'm ashamed to say, I recently became a victim of 'dipping' - someone, somehow, in a split second, managed to open up my handbag, only take my credit cards out (left everything else), and do my bag up again. I'm told that their method is to bump into you. I think this example goes to show, that no matter how well you might know an area, absolutely anyone is at risk of thieves. I think I can just about recall (very, very, very vaguely) being bumped into & having a hard time getting past an older lady, in a head scarf. There were loads of tourists about (e.g. including arab women in headscarves etc) - plus I hadn't seen a lot of gypsies around central London lately, so it just didn't occur to me at the time. This incident happened on Saturday 29th July 2011, around the South Bank area, near Jubilee Gardens (between the London Eye & Hungerford bridge. Was a sunny day, so a friend and I decided to meet up in the area, hadn't been down there for a while. We stopped to watch some street entertainers, huge crowd - very stupidly moved my hands away from in front of my handbag, to start clapping - honestly, don't bother!!). I reckon they must be in the crowd, looking out for anyone that gets their money out, to put in the street entertainers hats, after a performance. Luckily, my friend had mobile internet on her phone, so I was able to get the bank phone numbers & cancel the cards pretty quickly. I feel really sorry for any poor tourists who have been victims in the area, as, despite the huge crowds, there was absolutely no police presence to be seen (pathetic). I think the previous advice posted, to always carry with you the telephone numbers of your bank/credit card providers is a good idea, so that you can block the cards, as soon as you realised you've been 'dipped'.

first experienced a pickpocket a few years back while in Paris. I read many of these reviews and thought my wallet was safe in my front pocket, like so many reviews say. My guard was down for a second in a busy metro station and it was gone. Fortunately, I didn't have too much in it and immediately cancelled my two credit cards. I kept "a hand" on my wallet thinking that was making it more safe. It was what probably called attention to me as a prime target.

Anyway, you don't have to get too paranoid about it and just take some common sense measures and you should be fine. Definitely spread money around you and either use a money belt or neck wallet. I like the men's shirts that have buttoned front pockets on them. And they seem to be in fashion now as well. Additionally, bring along a few safety pins. Pin down the zippers on your backpack, bag, etc. Sure they can undo a pin, so try putting one facing one way and the other the opposite way. A simple, inexpensive and easy way to deter pickpockets. Only a minor hassle for you to undo the pins but better than the alternative. The whole idea is to make it harder for them to get your stuff and have them go find another easier target.

Confronted by gypsy women and/or children but don't want to shove them out fo the way if they violate your space? And you're not the type to yell and act crazy to scare them off? For less than $10, get a pocket air horn from off the Internet and keep it with you if you have room on your person or in your bag/purse. With one push of a button, it'll emit a 115dB sound that can be heard up to a mile away. Maybe a little overkill but oh well. Comparitively, anything over 140db's can cause ear damage so hold it at full arms extension. Probably not a good idea to do it while on a train or bus, however. Watch the gypsies/kids scatter like ants. Of course you'll draw attention from everyone else (including possible police)around, but who cares as you'll claim you were being robbed and had to do something to deter the crime.

Camera-wise: I never bring a camera worth more than $200. You can get a point and shoot camera for less than that. It will take stunning pictures. Unless you are a professional photo-journalist, leave your expensive stuff at home. Same principle as with jewelry, clothes, etc...Invest in an extra SD card (very inexpensive) or two. Swap them out often. That way if your camera is stolen, you still have some of the pics on the SD card you left back in your room. Same principle as keeping money, credit cards in more than one place as well as multiple copies of your documants. Or, if you have some downtime back at your hotel room, copy the pics you took to a laptop if you brought one or download them to the Internet. So if your camera goes, you'll still have some/most of the pics/vids. You probably backup files on your home computer, so why not here?

I am a fan of the decoy wallet. A thief knows they usually have one shot at you and they have to act fast. They'll go for the decoy. No matter how good they are at lifting a wallet, even though you might have it well secured, no one has x-ray vision and can see what is in your wallet. Well, unless you're not smart and whip it out and show everyone carelessly in a crowded place. Let 'em make off with the decoy. Stuff it with all kinds of junk. If you are ever in Las Vegas, don't turn down those x-rated cards they try to give you on the Strip. Collect a few and stuff 'em in your decoy. Surprise!

My travel companion learned a very expensive, not to mention time consuming lesson on this trip, like all big cities London has pickpockets working all through out it and they like to target tourists because we're often not paying attention. In our case we were sitting in a pub, they grabbed her purse without either one of us noticing. When we told the bartender about it, they said it happens all the time in their pub and while they have CCTV in the bar, that didn't help get her purse back. Later on in the week, we saw a sign in another pub warning of it. I never travel with a purse although I frequently have a backpack, I tend to keep my valuables on my person and try to keep my backpack somewhere hard to grab.

The pub referred us to the local police station, luckily she got back her purse, her wallet with credit and ATM cards still intact but they took her passport which is not so easy to replace. If your hotel has a safe, leave your passport at the hotel. There is no need to carry your passport in London, you can always bring along a copy and carry that with but it's really unlikely that you would ever need to show it. It's also a good idea to bring a list of your credit card numbers and contact numbers in case you need to cancel your cards.