The pre-Christmas season will soon begin again! That means many a visit to a Christmas market is coming up. But there are also thieves of these markets
Between mulled wine and gingerbread, your handbag or wallet can quickly get lost! Thieves can strike unnoticed, especially in the crowds at a large Christmas market.
But thieves have it easy not only at the Christmas market, but also when buying gifts (dear children: of course the buying of gifts by the Christmas elves and angels). To help you get through this time unscathed, the police offer a few tips :
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A stroll with the family, soon a cup of punch with colleagues, or even normal shopping in the supermarket: pickpockets always take advantage of everyday situations and cleverly steal your wallet or cash from your handbags. Pickpockets often work in groups - the first perpetrator distracts his victim, the second perpetrator steals the loot, such as the purse, cell phone or wallet, and hands it over to a third perpetrator, who then disappears into the crowd with the stolen goods.
The police are particularly now warning against “thieves” at the Christmas market and are giving useful tips on how to behave!
- When visiting the Christmas market, only take as much cash with you as you actually need
- Carry money, papers and other valuables in a neck pouch or belt bag. Otherwise, use closed inner pockets if possible.
- Always close your handbag and tuck it under your arm with the closure side facing your body.
- Do not allow anyone to see your purse or wallet. Only take as much cash with you as you need and keep your credit card separate from it.
- Be particularly careful when walking around crowds of people or in the crowds at the Christmas market. With a quick and unnoticed move, the perpetrators can get hold of your money or valuables.
- The “thieves” often appear as a team – one of the perpetrators distracts the victim or covers up the crime, another obtains the loot, another takes it over and disappears with it. Popular tricks include deliberately bumping into each other or creating an artificial crowd. Intentionally soiling clothing and supposedly helping to clean, as well as fictitiously asking for information, are also common diversionary tactics used by criminals - so always be vigilant and suspicious in such situations.
- If you have lost your payment cards, have them blocked immediately for further use, preferably by calling the nationwide blocking emergency number 116 116.
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“That’s usually how the perpetrators act!”
The pushing trick, for example, is popular at the Christmas market, especially in busy shops or narrow streets. A thief moves uncomfortably close to the victim until he angrily turns away and offers a bag slung over his shoulder or the wallet in his coat pocket, so to speak, “at hand”. Within just a few seconds, your wallet, credit cards or cell phone are gone.
Another repeatedly successful ploy used by thieves at the Christmas market is to allegedly "accidentally" soil the potential victim's clothing with ketchup, mustard or a liquid in order to distract from the theft of valuables by attempting to clean them afterwards.
But perpetrators also repeatedly take advantage of the “favorable opportunity” in the supermarket. Focusing on their own shopping or the shelves, older people often leave their handbags and valuables hanging on the shopping cart unattended. A nasty surprise lurks at the checkout when the wallet that was supposed to be used to pay is suddenly missing.
If you have been robbed, report the incident directly to the police!
Article image: Shutterstock / Calin Stan / M.Ekelund
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