Quote:
Originally Posted by Menarker
Ideally, it is a good idea to have a decoy wallet with about $20 (multiple smaller bills to make them look loaded at first glance) and some loose change that you can offer in case you get mugged, especially if you toss it to the side so you can run in a different direction toward safety while the mugger heads toward the wallet. TYPICALLY (but not always), the mugger just want to score something (or think they score) and do so with the minimal chance of getting caught.
If you elect to do that, keep your real wallet out of sight (possibly one of those travel ones worn under a shirt with a string around the neck) and keep your personal identifications in that one. Better yet, make photocopies of personal identification and keep them separate from your wallets.
(In an attempt to make my decoy wallet look real, I have used fake cards so the absence of such cards don't alarm the mugger until I've left the scene. Simple cards like loyalty cards from supermarket stores and perhaps library cards are a good way to pad it convincingly.)
This way, you aren't stranded and completely reliant on the good-will of others if you happen to lose one source of money.
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On this note: I've heard stuff from teachers who have traveled to the EU that a common pickpocketing problem is that whenever something to make you aware of the possibility of pickpocketing occurs (say a "check to make sure your shit isn't stolen" announcement on public transit), most people more or less immediately give away the location of their wallets to nearby thieves. It's something that is probably very possible at cons, too.
The best ways to deal with this would be to check for your wallet subtly (for example bumping that pocket against a wall to make sure that there's still stuff in it) and to make sure that your wallet access is inconvenient in some way, such as in a pocket that is zipped shut. A location that takes 3 more seconds to remove your wallet from is going to be 3 seconds too long for an opportunistic thief.