Pickpocket's Advice To Unsuspecting Public: Pay Attention

Career subway pickpockets may be "retiring" from the game, and most of them are content on taking their secrets to their grave if they can't find a proper apprentice. But one turncoat ex-thief, Sherman "O.T." Powell, is being kind enough to dole out advice on how not to get robbed. The Daily News paraphrases, "Stop being so clueless. Pay more attention to your surroundings. This ain't Disney World." You sure about that?

Powell, now 63 and retired after battling drug abuse, details a few moves to watch out for. He frequently hid his hands by pretending to read a newspaper, or nudge a guy in the back of the knee as he had his hand on the wallet. As the mark went down, the wallet slid out. There was also the "sandwich" move, where an accomplice would cut in front of someone waiting on line, and amidst the confusion Powell would pick the person's pocket. So those announcements on the bus are true!

Powell noted that we're in the middle of pickpocketing season, with subways and streets crowded with tourists until New Years. And if they'd just stay in their lane, maybe the pickpockets would stop bothering the rest of us.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on November 29, 2010 2:26 PM

Comments [rss]

OSN!

Yes, I was pick pocketed by a bum [literally] rush as a teenager. Dude boosted my eyeglass case with new eyeglasses. My mom killed me. Ever since I'm always...yo, WTF? Why you staring at me? Why did you just bump into me. And I'm very stand-offish in subways. Always put my wallet in a front pocket in any crowd.

jaycjay

"This ain't Disney World."

I would think Disney World would be a great place for pickpockets to work. It's crowded and full of distractions. Then again, I suppose they don't want to pay the admission fee.

handsomedevil

So - anybody here ever actually been pickpocketed? I thought one guy tried it on me once like 14 years ago, but what do I know, maybe I was just paranoid. It's VERY low on my list of concerns.

Seems like the easy money's in swiping pocketbooks off the backs of chairs and attacking old ladies.

Guest

Yes.. Newsflash: pay attention... How sad is it that people have to listen to a pick pocket for street advice? Unfortunately, we can't even just blame it on the tourists now.. we have a huge wave of moronic transplants that wouldn't have street smarts if it hit them in the face and stole their wallet. People are way too focused on their cellphones and being in their own little world to pay attention to what is going on around them. Frightening

nicemarmot

Oddly, I always see more pickpockets in Vegas than I do here. I guess those dense crowds in the casinos are ideal working grounds for them. I did once have a guy try to grab my purse here, but he was apparently the world's stupidest purse snatcher as I was paying attention and we were about five feet from a cop.

NattyB

"I always see more pickpockets in Vegas than I do here."

How do you see pickpockets? Don't mean to be snarky, but, if you look for a while, can one just tell?

nicemarmot

I wouldn't say I see all of them, but they are generally wandering aimlessly, looking around constantly, and repeatedly bumping into people for no apparent reason. Sometimes they work in teams where one guy will go up to a random stranger and ask him a question and then another guy will sneak up behind and grab the wallet or whatever they're after. I'm a people-watcher in general so I tend to notice when something's a bit off. I think they might be easier to notice in Vegas because people are usually staring at all the "sights" with their mouths hanging open, so people who don't do that tend to stand out.