I was on a crowded bus yesterday (rush hour, the usual). A man took his wallet out of his back pocket (so unattractive, that big rear bulge) and started fiddling with his cards and counting his money (he had $190, 3 $50 bills and 2 $20’s). Now this guy was a big, mean looking man. I wouldn’t mess with him for $190.
But then a lady (likely reminded of something by the man looking at his money) took her wallet out of her purse and did the same. She was flashing credit card numbers and dollar bills and then after about 20 minutes, zipped the wallet back into the top of her purse.
She might as well have handed it to a mugger.
So I was talking about this to a coworker and she admitted sheepishly to counting her money on public transit also. Insanity. Flashing cash in a public place is asking for trouble. Showing the world where you keep your wallet is asking for a pickpocket (in Paris, that wallet would have been snatched before it made it to the purse).
And for goodness sakes, don’t do as a forgetful loved one does and write your PIN numbers on the back of your cards. I asked her what the point was of having a PIN if she was going to make it so obvious (she simply plans on never losing her wallet). She didn’t have a good answer.
Comments (1)
My dad once had a tough-looking punk (mohawk and everything) come up to him on a crowded subway and say "Sir, your passport looks really easy to grab. You might want to zip your coat or something."
He was so grateful. We were on the London metro and I'm sure there were plenty of pickpockets around.
Posted by Mrs. Micah | January 31, 2008 5:48 PM
Posted on January 31, 2008 17:48