Nice - dangerous?

[eyebeebe]

johnwilliams77 said:

bad company said:

eyebeebe said:

Pick pocketed getting on the train to Monaco.Typical! Quite professionally done. Plans for the day screwed up.

Really sorry to hear that. How was it 'professionally done'?

Probably because they got it without him noticing and they were already gone?

OP - what do you mean 'tile' that they left at the cash machine?

This thread reminds me.... save all my numbers to cancel cards!

I tend to just take out a credit card and a small amount of cash each day on holiday. Minimizes the risk.

We were waiting on a busy platform to get on a busy train that was running late. A guy pushes through from behind/side and helps a woman with her luggage. I'd assumed at this point they were together. The guy then just stands there blocking me from following my gf who had got on first. Eventually I try to get past him and as I do I felt someone behind me take it out of my pocket. In the few seconds it takes to process it they've vanished and my immediate priority is to tell me gf to get off the train and then start cancelling the cards. Even as I was on the phone to my credit card company they could tell me that someone had tried a minute ago to get money out of a cash point. They could tell me the bank name but not location.

Tile: www.thetileapp.com

Considering we were heading to Monaco for the day, I didn't see having €200 on me as excessive.

[bad company]

eyebeebe said:

We were waiting on a busy platform to get on a busy train that was running late. A guy pushes through from behind/side and helps a woman with her luggage. I'd assumed at this point they were together. The guy then just stands there blocking me from following my gf who had got on first. Eventually I try to get past him and as I do I felt someone behind me take it out of my pocket. In the few seconds it takes to process it they've vanished and my immediate priority is to tell me gf to get off the train and then start cancelling the cards. Even as I was on the phone to my credit card company they could tell me that someone had tried a minute ago to get money out of a cash point. They could tell me the bank name but not location.

Tile: www.thetileapp.com

Considering we were heading to Monaco for the day, I didn't see having €200 on me as excessive.

Yes, clever tactics. The Tile stuff looks good, might buy that.

I feel for you but it could have been worse and you would have blown through more than €200 in Monaco.

[eyebeebe]

It gets worse. I think they must have shoulder surfed me when I was buying the train tickets. They got my pin and took out €600 from a cash point and managed to use it for another €250 in shops. Seems like the block isn't 100% instant. I'm gobsmacked and how efficient they've worked to be honest.

I assume that I will get this back, but my bank have just said someone will be in touch.

[Crumpet]

Sorry to hear that, OP. I'm in Nice at the moment and weirdly me and my colleagues were talking about this last night. We all know someone who has had stuff taken from their hotel room in Nice.

These are guys who travel for a living and it seems Nice is up there with the worst for this kind of thing, probably because of the large number of easy targets - the wealthy individuals who live and visit there. Barcelona, another great city, seems to be favourite for getting mugged or pick-pocketed!

[Thundersports]

Stayed in Nice for the Monaco Historic meeting. I felt pretty safe even though I was staying near the station. However like all Cities keep your wits about you etc there is a serious drug/alcohol problem there.

[ruggedscotty]

Even though a terrorist activity has occurred and there have been fatalities, your overall risk is very very low, Look at the number of people that were injured in that incident and view it against the number of people that were actually at the event. You would be very unlucky to be directly affected by it.

If you dont go then you are letting them win. Live your life and dont let them get to you.

[bad company]

eyebeebe said:

It gets worse. I think they must have shoulder surfed me when I was buying the train tickets. They got my pin and took out €600 from a cash point and managed to use it for another €250 in shops. Seems like the block isn't 100% instant. I'm gobsmacked and how efficient they've worked to be honest.

I assume that I will get this back, but my bank have just said someone will be in touch.

Bugger! That does sound like the work of professionals.

Have you heard from the bank yet?

[eyebeebe]

bad company said:

Bugger! That does sound like the work of professionals.

Have you heard from the bank yet?

Another €400 has showed up today including more cash withdrawals. The bank are playing it cagey: I asked them to suspend the payments from my account i.e. I don't have to clear them off my account or pay interest on it while it is being fixed. Because they got my PIN number they won't do that The fraud department is now investigating, but they have to contact every retailer and bank. God knows what good that will do, but could take a month. It's been a bit of an eyeopener regarding how payments are authorised and processed - it's clearly not in real time. The transactions must have taken place after the block was put on, simply because of the physical distance between the retailers and ATMs and how quickly I had it blocked. They even helpfully let the thieves blast through my credit limit, because I'm a good customer, so they are flexible! I can only assume this is actually because the transactions weren't authorised in real time, because the pattern looks suspicious as hell and not in keeping with my spending history.