2 of my friends got their phones stolen in Paris.... | Paris pickpockets storytime

Hi guys, I'm Ariel, welcome back to my YouTube channel if you're doing well today. I wanted to make a quick, casual video about the pickpocketing state of emergency in Paris last week. Two of my

friends

found

their

phones

stolen

and I've actually seen two cases of people being robbed that actually happened while I was out and completing my tour of Alanis's 6th Mom which is coming out tomorrow on my channel if you want to come back to tune in, but I thought it would be interesting and maybe important to film a PSA video on this topic because I know a lot of you watch my channel to prepare for your trip to Paris or your semester abroad or your move here and I really hope that when making this video, you keep in mind that

pickpockets

are everywhere in Paris and I hope that these examples give you an idea of ​​what you should pay attention to when you are here.

I also think that people who come from countries or cities where pickpocketing is much less rampant than in Paris don't necessarily understand that pickpocketing has completely evolved; it feels uncomfortable and seems dangerous, that's not how

pickpockets

happen. Pickpockets today come in the form of elaborate strategic scenarios where these groups of people catch you completely off guard to the point where it is so easy to rob you to give you an idea. Some of the pickpockets I have seen in Paris may look like men. in suits, they can look like innocent families on the Metro and they can look like groups of schoolgirls, you know, just hanging out, literally anyone in Paris could be a pickpocket just because someone looks professional, confident and innocent, doesn't mean they're complacent when you are in public, always stay alert, so let's talk about my two

friends

who had

their

phone

stolen

;

The first one, she was in Galjuna and was going through the turnstile there. she had her head

phones

on, she had a cake in her hands and she was relatively immobilized because you're between the two metal barriers of the turnstile and she basically feels like you know someone close to her pocket region on her side and she turns around and what does she see, she sees to a man who took his phone out of his pocket and I think he felt a lot more urgency to get his phone back in this case because it's a new phone, I think he could have done it.

It would have been different if it had been like a phone, you know, that she bought two or three years ago, she would feel less attached and less worried about having spent so much money on a phone, but because she felt this urgency, she screamed from above. At the top of his lungs he grabbed the phone and booked it through Turn Style and on the subway and I was so surprised when he told me this and when he told me his reaction because as bad as it is to lose a phone, it's not worth your life. and these pickpockets don't normally attack alone, they normally attack in groups and it made me instantly think of this case when I was studying in the South, there was a girl at school who was alone on the Metro quite late at night. in Marseille and just like this guy wanted a phone, she was hesitant to give it to him, obviously and you know, he ended up taking his own life, which is horrible, so yeah, this whole situation really had me worried and upset for my friend, believe.

It's a good example, a good classic example of how you can get robbed on the Metro. The pockets, you know, getting into the pockets is one of the most obvious and basic strategies. I never leave my phone in my pocket and I don't recommend it. you guys do it and if you're alone and you're not in a crowded public place like my friend was during the day um and someone and someone takes your phone be careful when you fight over it like I said a phone isn't worth your life and Who knows to what extent a pickpocket will go to rob you.

My second friend who had his phone stolen last week is actually a teammate on my basketball team and his phone was stolen at one of our basketball games and this scenario shocked everyone. To be honest, everyone on the team, because everyone on the team except me is French, we've lived in Paris for years, we don't usually get attacked by pickpockets or robberies and basically what happened is we were playing basketball . I play in the gym and this random guy came down and sat like next to our fans, you could say, and I hadn't seen him before at our games.

He was sitting out this game because he had hurt my foot, so I immediately saw. him when he came in and I didn't recognize him, but I thought he was one of the friends of the other two players who were on the field playing at that time because it was the first time they played with our team and obviously they wouldn't know his friends or family who They would come to see it and it's also a basketball game inside a gym, like who is going to come off the street and come to see it like a basketball game in the adult league, you know, our guards were not there. and you know, lo and behold, this guy sneaks into my teammate's backpack, steals his phone, and leaves the game without even being noticed.

Now, you won't find yourself in this kind of situation unless you live in Paris, but I think it's a good example to show you how something innocent and casual can actually be theft. So, as I was saying, while I was touring the six, I saw two other people get robbed and the first case occurred in the design of the swimming pool, which is a quite touristy bridge. where Mindy is playing at Emily in Paris, this is where the famous love locks were placed, a lot of people go there to take pictures or do a photo shoot because there is also the Eiffel Tower in the background, but anyway I came to this bridge and there were There were quite a few tourists and there was a group of women.

I took a video to show you which I'll put up on the screen, but there was a group of women walking around with these clipboards and asking everyone to sign their petition. Now, this is a very common pickpocket strategy. In fact, I'm surprised it still works because of the general awareness about this type of pickpocketing, but clearly it still attracts people because as they approached everyone on the bridge, I was looking to see if anyone would accept and they had to lower the entire walk until they found this random older woman on the street who was happy for you to help them and sign their petition for whatever cause they were excited about and what they will do is while you sign.

I'll make these big elaborate gestures of gratitude and you won't notice them slipping into your pocket and grabbing your wallet, your phone, anything of value, but anyway, this group of women with their clipboards had found their victim and I didn't. . I really think before I act, which in retrospect maybe wasn't the smartest thing to do because, again, these people don't attack one by one, they're like groups of people, so if they wanted to attack you, they have the body count to do damage, but anyway, I immediately ran and went in and told her please don't sign this like you have to get out of here and the woman was surprised and asked: Why can't I sign this petition?

I thought that these are well-known pickpockets from Paris while you are signing, they will steal your items, like please, let's get out of here and as I was telling her this and taking her away from these women, everyone started screaming and making punching movements and I was like, oh my god, girl, run. and I was like shaking, I was really scared because there was actually another time when I stopped other pickpockets in two news stories and again it was like a mother and daughter and when I confronted them because I was so upset that they were doing this to people. you know, around the corner was the brother and father who came out to defend, help protect, you know, fight against the people who were facing such a terrifying situation with hippocrates, but it's proof that people You still fall into these traps now that you know this is a pickpocket trap.

I hope you avoid him quickly when these women approach you. The second case where I saw someone get robbed at six was when I was filming at Café De Flor, which is a very popular and historically important café. It's a huge one. tourist destination um and basically I was inside filming some clips for my video and all of a sudden there's this older woman who totally panics and calls the manager because she's like my bag, my bag, the manager left and the waiters left. When they approach her table, they are like searching under the table at the bank to find her purse, but of course it has been stolen and this is something I see over and over again in Paris.

You're not even safe in a restaurant and no. Don't be fooled by this. I have seen people with their phones or wallets on the table and a pickpocket or thief just walks into the restaurant pretending to be a customer and again they don't look like dangerous people, they just seem like they are. casual people who would come to a cafe to have a drink and what do they do, they see your phone and your bag, they grab it and run out or because the cafes and restaurants are quite small and full in Paris, everyone tends to say the same thing crowded together on the benches or on the chairs, so if you leave your bag on the bench or under the table, it is like a very easy access for someone to sit next to you again looking like a casual customer eating in the restaurant and for steal all of their items, so yeah, that's the four cases of pickpocketing and theft that I've seen literally in the last seven days.

Before I end this video, I want to share with you how I protect myself against pickpockets in Paris because I have lived here for about three and a half years and I have never been robbed, which I wear as a badge of honor given the large number of people I know who have had their phone stolen so yeah I'm going to quickly grab my fanny pack to show you guys oh okay this is what I use literally every time I leave my house in Paris whether it's to go to have dinner, meet friends or just go for a walk.

I should probably buy a second one, which is a little more elegant because this one is from Lululemon, so it's a little more sporty, but I don't make purses anymore because I think they're too far away from your place and your hands, and also pickpockets They just cut the straps. your bag if they can't get into it. I also rarely pack backpacks and if you ever see me with a backpack you can bet your bottom dollar it's in front of me. I don't care how ridiculous it seems if you carry your backpack on your back in Paris you are asking to be robbed.

I also carry absolutely nothing of value in this fanny pack. I don't have anything here except a hair tie and lipstick. What I'll put here is my phone and then in the back pocket I carry two cards, my ID and my credit card and I use it like this and at all times when I'm in public especially when I'm on the Metro I have my hand oh you can't really look, I literally have my hand like this on the zipper preventing any access to the fanny pack. I'm not here to play with these pickpockets, so yes, if you come to France, if you come to Paris, I highly recommend you invest. in a fanny pack I know money belts were in fashion before and I even wore one like on my first trip when I was 13 or 14, but the problem with money belts is that you have to go under all your layers to get them out. money or whatever you need from the money belt and it's very inconvenient because I don't know if every five seconds you want to check your phone or you have to pay for something or you need your keys or not I don't know what, but in my opinion, fanny packs are much more practical, convenient and much safer than a bag or backpack.

Voila, that's my two cents on pickpockets and robberies in Paris. I hope this video has been useful to you and what I think. It would also be very helpful if in the comments you would like to share your own stories or experiences with robberies or pickpockets in France and Paris or in Europe. I think it's very important for your awareness on this issue to keep everyone safe, but yeah, that. that's it for me today thank you all so much for watching and I'll see you tomorrow during my tour of the sixth thank you.