Travel Horror Story: A Woman Tried to Pickpocket Me in Monaco

I think a woman tried to pickpocket me in Monaco.

I visited Monaco on a day trip from Bordighera, Italy, and unfortunately, because there’s no luggage storage in the country, I was left to walk around with all of my belongings. My belongings in this instance included one roller suitcase, two backpacks, and a fanny pack. This naturally drew some extra attention as I dragged the suitcase along Monaco’s cobblestone streets. Not to mention, most people in Monaco have money, so they would just hire someone to take their bags, have a private car, or more likely, have a hotel and simply not be in my situation.

Always needing to get some photos, at one point, I had set up my tripod in a quiet nook off of the main strip in Monte Carlo. As a professional solo traveler, I like to believe I am an expert and getting the shots I need in lightning-speed time.

I also have a trick for taking photos when traveling alone: I am aware that when I set up my tripod, it draws attention and makes me an easier target. I always loop my backpack around the legs of my tripod, so if someone tried to run up quickly to steal it, they would struggle. I also NEVER turn my back on my stuff.

So, in Monaco, I really wasn’t worried, but stayed vigilant as I always do. After about a minute of taking photos, I walked back to my stuff to quickly disassemble my tripod. As I approached my things, a woman who was nicely dressed and quite young ran up to me saying, “Excuse me, I have a question.”

She then said, “Are you on your period? Because there’s blood all over your dress.”

But here’s the thing, I knew for a fact I was not on my period, so a red flag was raised. Something in me told me she was trying to distract me to get me to turn around to check the back of my dress. I immediately felt my hands ensure I was within close proximity of my most essential items: my passport which I always keep in a fanny pack, my cell phone which was still connected to my tripod, and my wallet which was shoved WAY deep into my backpack.

A tip to avoiding getting robbed or pickpocketed abroad: If you’re worried about pickpocketers, put something totally useless at the easiest part of accessing your bag. For me, it’s always crumbled receipts, so that way if anyone tries to reach in, I will hear the paper crinkle!

I listened to my gut, and I didn’t turn around to check for blood. Instead, I just stared at her with a wide smile, and said, “Thank you for letting me know.” She kind of stared at me, didn’t say anything, and I just stared back. It seemed like she was waiting for me to turn around to check my dress.

She then walked away, and I immediately ensured all of my things were still with me, which they were.

And guess what? I went to the bathroom shortly thereafter, and there was no blood.

I’m not going to lie: seeing all of those “Attenzione! Pickpocket!” videos circulating social media helped me recognize that this might be a potential pickpocketing.

What do you think? Was she trying to distract me to pickpocket me?

Have you ever been pickpocketed abroad? I’d love to hear your experience below so we can all know what to look out for!

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