There’s so much to think about when planning trips and unfortunately, pickpockets and scams are front of mind with travellers heading to travel forums to check the status of their holiday destination.
Even the savviest traveller can fall victim to wily thieves and scammers while in holiday mode and it pays to be prepared to avoid parting ways with your cash and cards.
A recent study showed one in 20 Aussies were scammed while overseas in 2023, while three per cent said they were the victims of theft.
And it’s timely advice for travel advisors, too as overseas famils and conferences can sometimes lull you into a false sense of security.
Compare the Market Australia travel insurance comparison experts crunched the pickpocket- and scam-related keyword mentions on travel forums to find the 10 worst global cities for pickpockets.
And it turns out that European destinations cause the most anxiety among tourists.
Top 10 global spots for pickpockets & scams
Is Paris actually nicknamed the City of Light because of light-fingered pickpockets? Paris took out the top global spot for the most pickpocket- and scam-related keyword mentions on travel forums with 25 mentions per one million tourists.
Paris also placed with the second-highest mugging and robbery anxieties (a rating of 60.74 out of a possible 100).
Barcelona came in second with the second-highest total pickpocket and scam keyword mentions per million. Barcelona also received the highest amount of ‘theft’ mentions on travel forums.
London placed third on the list with just 8.90 total mentions per one million visitors. However, the city performed poorly in mugging and robbery anxieties with a rating of 58.19 out of 100.
In fourth place was Rome with the third-highest keyword density at a rate of 17.36 total keyword mentions per one million tourists.
Las Vegas took the fifth spot as the only non-European city. Vegas was among the lowest mentions for pickpockets, however, it received a higher-than-average rate of ‘stolen’, ‘theft’ and ‘scam’ mentions.
Ho Chi Minh City (6), Orlando (7), New York City (8), Istanbul (9) and Madrid (10) completed the top 10 list of worst pickpocket and scam cities globally.
Compare the Market Executive General Manager of General Insurance Adrian Taylor said it’s important to ensure that travel insurance covers your passport and valuables.
“If your items are lost due to theft, your documents may be replaced, or you could be reimbursed for the cost of replacements up to the policy limit,” he said.
“However, losing your items due to negligence will likely lead to a rejected claim, so it’s important to ensure that you keep your items safe with you at all times.”
