I know there's already alot of great information on the site about Pickpockets and how to protect yourself from them, which is fantastic.

I thought I'd just share the knowledge I have about Pickpockets here, since It seems a senisble place to do so. And I'd like to apolagise If anything in this thread has already been mentioned. I haven't done this for the intention to give you ideas on how to Pickpocket but to know how Pickpockets work so you can protect yourself.

What Is a Pickpocket?

A Pickpocket is an individual who emplys a variety of methods such as Distraction, Misdirection, Compassion etc to take advantage of a passerby by lifting their personal belongings.
It's a common misconception that Pickpockets are the lowest form of theives, Stupid crroks or Chavs, which couldn't be further from the truth. Pickpockets are experts in Misdirection and generally have a very good understanding of human nature, and despite the sterotype are extreamlly skilled, they are also excellent at slieghts of hand. (Which Is why Pickpockets often make excellent magcians ) A Pickpockets can earn easily as much as a armed robber, without the risk, or Jail time.

Why Pickpocket?

- It's all based on finding an opportunity and taking it.

- There are many methods of obtaining the goods which they can use when suited to their needs.

- The profit is usually always high (depending on your mark and the setting that they are in).

- The experience they gain from being quick with your hands, Opens routes to alternatives

- There is always a 97% chance they will never be linked back to being responsible.
1% being responsible is if they do not do it right and are seen by someone else or the mark.
1% being responsible is if they are caught on CCTV.

- It is quick to do and easy to get away.


Do Pickpockets work alone?

Yes Pickpockets do work alone. although nowadays Pickpockets tend to work in small groups of 2-4, very rarely any more. By working together they ensure that the success rate of lifting your personal belongings are dramitcally increased, It also allows them to pull off several lifts all at the same time. However In very busy urban areas such as Shopping centers and City centers, Groups of pickpockets will often split up.

What Do Pickpockets look like?

They look Scruffy, Out of place, Nervous, Agressive, Just like a criminal.... WRONG! I've never known or heard of Pickpocket who would come anywhere near a word on that list. The idea of Pickpocketing is to lift personal belongings without the mark having any form of suspicion. And to do that a Pickpocket will need to appear inconspicuos and completely blend into the immidate enviroment and "Disappear" if needed. A Pickpocket is more likely to be dressed smartly in a suit, blend in with everyone else, Could be a elderly woman, could be pregnant, have a young child. It's in our nature to be more suspicious of someone who stands out, You are more likely to stop and help a "Pregnant" women than you are to a scruffy, dirty bloke.

Pickpocket Language

Pickpocket's slang
Amongst any gang of thieves there are always groups of pickpockets who will use slang terms to communicate with each other in such a way, and it makes for easier explanation to you with these terms I'm about to tell you.

Mark
A mark is the target of a pickpocket, pickpockets choices of marks vary and can include a tight packed crowded area where it's dark such as a night club or cinema, all alone, or a distracted person or a group.


Moll Buzzer/bag snatcher
A moll buzzer is pretty much a bag snatcher and someone who targets women. A lot of Idiots who are new to pickpocketing/purse snatching are usually confrontational and often draw even more attention to themselves when bargained for, although there are some smart moll buzzers who work in teams and will often make an opportunity opening for one of them to make the snatch discreetly from the mark.

Open gateway
Goods left unattended just ready for someone to take objects include but are not limited to: handbags, coats, wallets and anything else for pickpockets to snatch up.

Lift
Taking the goods from the pocket or handbag of their mark.

Bump
The art bumping into a mark to take off his guard while they bump up the wallet with their other hand up to the top of the pocket ready for them to pull off a better lift.

Slip
The grabbing of the tip of a wallet and letting the mark walk away and naturally the wallet slipping out as well; usually completed after a bump up.

Drop
Dropping off a wallet or purse at a location for later retrieval.

Toss
Used in team pickpocketing when the goods are tossed to the partner to cause confusion or to keep out of trouble when questioned while their partner gets away.

Snip
The cutting of a female's handbag in order to retrieve the bag from off her arm/shoulder.

Slit
Slitting of a pocket in order to retrieve a wallet from a bigger opening.

Stroking
Stroking is the act where they give a slight stroke on the mark's pocket to feel whether a wallet is in the mark's pocket, ready to be lifted.


Pickpocketing Hotspots

Crowded and places where people are packed together closely are the best places to lift, not only because everyone is bumping into each other and it's easy to get distracted, but also because it provides the Pickpocket with more cover and can stay hidden more if they need to make a get away.
Some hotspots for pickpockets are the most obvious places such as nightclubs/bars, cinemas, subways (the biggest), airports (it's actually very easy to do here), market stalls and of course school hallways. So whenever you're in these places keep your wits about you and be on the lookout. Food courts where jackets and bags are hung over the back of chairs ready to be lifted from are popular too.

How Do Pickpockets work?

Pickpockets rely on several methods such as misdirection, distraction and compassion, they also understand human nature and utilise this to great effect.

Misdirection

All Pickpockets are talented in Misdirection, which is the ability to make the mark belive something has happened when in fact it has not, aswell as leading Marks to believe exactally what they want them to. Misdirection is also used as a method to confuse the mark making it alot easier to pull off the lift. Bumping into the mark is a common one.

Distraction

This is a method thats used to divert the marks attention away or elsewhere for a period of time, causing a lapse in concentration. Making the lift very easy. Fake fights are commonly used.

Compassion

It's human nature to offer someone in need help, and this is abused by pickpockets. Whilst the mark is helping someone in need, the pickpocket has lifted his wallet and personal belongings.
This a very popular method as it has a 98% succes rate.

Common Pickpocket Techniques


The bump and lift
The mind can only focus and do one thing at a time; example, count to 10 and half way through while still trying to count to 10 in your head shout orange out loud. You'll notice that as soon as you shouted out orange you lost concentration with the counting; still not convinced? Then sit yourself down and hold one of your legs out infront of you and one of your arms out infront of you, now start making circles with your arm, now after a while try to make a circle with your leg at the same time, but in anti clockwise instead of clockwise like your arm. you'll see it's impossible, that's how the brain works though. We don't use much of our brain at all.

So if the brain can only focus on one thing at once then this gives Pickpockets plenty of time to bump up and lift their wallet while they're too distracted or focused on what happened.

This is easier to do if they're walking in the opposite way as their mark.They simply bump into them "by accident" to make the marks focus change while they bump out their wallet far enough for them to lift out. While They're bumping into them they can either quickly dip into their pocket and take the goods or push the wallet further out the pocket with their hand while they bump into them and then lift it afterwards.

This is a combination of Distraction and Misdirection, because as the pickpocket bumps into you, your brain for a short period time becomes disorientated as your focus sharply changes from one thing to another, and also confuses you for a split second, giving the pickpocket plenty of time to make the lift. By the time your attention's on the pickpocket he's apolagised and walker away with your wallet. The Misdirection is that he bumped into you by accident and your wallets is fine.


The bump, grab and slip
Pickpockets find someone standing still but ready to go on the move (a good example here would be a cue when leaving the cinema, this is good because it's still relatively dark in there too even once the film has finished), an escalator is a good one too. Pickpockets simply bump into the back of their mark and apologize, while doing this they bump the wallet out the pocket a little bit; if it's in a side pocket then they use their thumb and middle finger to widen the pocket more for them to pull it out a little bit more. Now all they do is simply hold onto the wallet with their thumb and index finger on the tip of it and let the mark themselves detach themselves from the wallet as they walk away.

Pressure Distraction

People are sensetive to touch, thats a fact, its one of our major senses. However Pickpockets utilise this to their advantage. Even though we are sensitive to touch, if you are contastly touched in the same general area such as the arm you start to become a little insentive and unaware of it happening.
Pickpockets grab the marks arm which is closest to their wallet and apply slight pressure to it, which distracts the marks attention to the arm, and makes them unaware that their wallet has just been lifted as they focusing 100% on their arm.


Those are the 3 main and most common techniques used for Pickpocketing however they are many more advanced methods that you have to watch out for, such as the "Fake Lift".

Fake Lift

This technique is very simple, but very very clear so you have to be careful and keep an eye on your belongings. Pickpockets have come up with a idea based entirely on misdirection. What happens is the "Fake Pickpocket" try's to lift something from the mark but fails on purpose and the marks attention is admitely drawn to the situation, accusing the mark of pickpocketing even though nothing has been taken. During this time his partner the "Real" pickpocket walks past the mark and makes the actual lift whilst the mark is focused on the "Fake".

If you are ever in this situation, If you think you've been pickpocketed, quickly check all of your belongings and nothing is gone swiftly move on before the secondary pickpocket can make the move.

Runners

All a run is a acomplice to the Pickpocket, his Job? to be given the lifted valuables and run. Simple as that. Straight after a lift the goods are either passed or thrown to the runner, so to avoid any linkage to the actually theft.

Compassion Techniques

This is when Pickpockets rely on the marks compassion for others to allow them to make the lift. It's an extreamly dangerous and decietful form and hard to spot.

Some pickpockets play on compassion in their distractions. They "accidentally" drop change or shopping bags on the ground so that someone will stop to help them. While the mark is kneeling on the ground with the first pickpocket, another member of the team steals his or her wallet. At the beach, one member of the team may pretend to be in trouble in the water. When the mark runs in to help out, another member of the team walks off with whatever the mark has left on the beach.






Distraction Techniques

Human beings usually focus their attention on one thing, so if you give them anything interesting to focus on, they won't pay attention to their money and valuables.

In the pickpocketing world, distraction can get pretty elaborate. Two members of a team might stage a fight while the third member takes advantage of the inattentive crowd. Child pickpockets may try to show something to a mark, like a drawing or a toy, while other children sneak up from behind. Another common trick is to surreptitiously spray someone with bird droppings, or a convincing facsimile, and then offer to help clean it off.

One of the most commonly used distraction techniques Is Sex, the use of a young attractive male or female is used to avert the attention on to the mark, focusing the thoughts on him/her e.g An attractive woman, usually pretending to be drunk, will touch an unsuspecting man affectionately, and lift his wallet or watch while he's distracted, also psycologically it seems that attractive people are less likely to be suspected of a small crime, due to their looks the mark wants to believe it they aren't involved, and without knowing it they convince themselves their innocent.

Ops, Sorry

This is a classic technique, and this usuall requires the Pickpocket spilling something (usually hot) on the mark, in the pretense of helping the mark clean themselves offers and excellent oppertunity to "Clean out" the mark.

Bully

In this case te Pickpocket will of course "Accidently" knock off the marks glasses, suitcase, hat, anything. This will serve to both infurirate and disorient the victim, so will wallet can easily be lifted.

Misdirection Techniques

Misdirection itself is a complicated concept and has very powerful psycological effects and is also used by magicains to do what seems impossible, when in reality it never even happened in the first place, but you were just lead to believe that it happened.

Misdirection has become a Pickpockets best friend, and more and more elaborate misdirection techniques are made every day, and to an unspectting mark, dangerous.

My Wallet's Been Stolen!!

Your In the underground when you hear someone shouted "My wallet's been stolen" so you quickly check your wallet to make sure its still there, and your attention is diverted towards the girl whose wallet's been taken suddenly who bump into the person in front of who and knock them over, who try and help them up, when someone from behind bumps into you, you turn around, no-ones there, you go back to help the person up but two more people bump into you, you start to become a little suspicious, you see someones hand move in a straight line towards your pocket they walk past, you suspecting they've taken your wallet chase after them, when you catch them it turns out they were just shaking their hand to get water off it, you leave only to find not only has your wallet been knicked but your keys, bag, watch, rings have all been taken.

This is a classic misdirection technique emplyed by freelance pickpockets and groups. It will always be a pcikpocket who shouts "My wallet has been stolen", but why would they want to draw attention to this?

It's simple really by Shouting that, everyone in that room will immediately become suspicious and will check that all there valuables are still there. This is a Pickpockets heaven! Everyone in the room has just revealed the exact location of their valuables! You've just done 70% of a pickpockets work for him, well done.

"Your attention is diverted towards the girl whose wallet's been taken suddenly who bump into the person in front of who and knock them over" It's natural for your attention to be diverted towards this person, as its in our nature to be curious. But this gives Pickpockets a indication that your not 100% focusing on what your doing and therefore vunerable. The person who knocked over would of course be a pickpocket who purposely stopped suddenly to bump into you, thus sending your brain into a spontaneous mess and distracting you, whilst another pickpocket lifts some valuables off you from behind.

Guess Who?!

Involves the pickpocket approaching the mark, and placing the thier hands round the marks eyes and shouting "Guess who!", obviuosly at the same time removing the contents of their pockets. When the mark turns round supprised and infuriated the Pickpockets will be very apolagetic and seem very embarressed followed by the words, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry I thought you were my Brother, Sister, Dad, Uncle, etc" and humbly walks away.

Hand Movements

It's known that there are only two movements your can make with your arm, the are linear and circular motion. I.e moving your arm in a straight line and at a rounded angle. Because of they way our mind works, we are alot more likely to notice a sharp linear motion then, a slower circular one. This is because it's in our instinctive nature as millions of years ago, humans would of been alerted to sharp linear movements as a safety mechanism to alert our attention to fast moving predators.

Pickpockets knowing this often will use sharp sudden hand movements in the direction of your pocket, alerting your attention to it, whislt they lift something out of your bag or back pocket with their free hand. The sharp movement is to get your attention but it will always be disgiused an innocent everyday action such as just shaking their hand, lighting a cigeratte etc.