Request for Pickpocketing Information

[Atticus]

Sorry for the flashy symbols in the subject line they were to get peoples attention. I was wondering if any of you have an idea of the types of scams performed by con artists and the like. Anything to make some money. Also if any of you have any pickpocketing experience please share any special techniques or difficulties that are involved. Thanks
-Atticus

[DIzzIE]

A general request for swindles/money making has already been made here.

A list of resources to sites with countless scam ideas has been posted here.

Resources on pickpocketing can be found here, here, and here.

Any more vague threads asking for "anything to make some money" will be locked.

Think and search before you make a post.

[Atticus]

I thought I had sorry. Thank you for the information.
-Atticus

[-inefficiency-]

Just a side note: pickpocketing is a very outdated thing, generally people just purse-snatch these days. Actually taking something out of someones pocket or bag takes a lot of guts and a lot of skill, most people don't do that these days.

[Joshy]

what are the best sorts of areas and times for purse snatching?

[Random]

Best areas: places where there are purses.
Best times: when one can do it without getting arrested.

Seriously if one is going to do something like this, they should go out and do a bit of first-hand research. Perhaps take a look at a real world place where one might snatch a purse; get a feel for the number of people present, any nearby law enforcement, and entrances and exits of specific areas.

After that research, one should do what they are most comfortable with. I'm pretty sure there aren't any specific rules for this sort of thing, and I'm also pretty sure that things like the best areas and times would vary from place to place - hence the need for first-hand research.

[Jackal]

one more little thing....obviously if you snatch someones purse they will feel it (no shit) one old trick is to take a razor blade and cut the seams of the purse at the straps....this only works if the person is sitting down so they don't feel a sudden decrease of wait

[Atticus]

Yeah. Also the other day I was on BART (bay area mass transit) talking to my friend when I began to think. There was a guy standing there completely in a daze listening to music. One could find a place like the subway where people stand around with their little iRivers (mp3 players) dangling from around their neck. These are relatively expensive and can be wiped clean and resold or simply used. With a razor one could simply slice the neck cord and yank it away popping the headphones out. If this is done with finesse they might even think that it only ran out of battery and stop to leave you walking away with a new toy. If tried with the heavier iPod this leads back to the topic of pickpocketing, however these iPods could be slowly pulled out by the earphones and then snatched. Give them all a try and share your experience. Another great place to find free stuff is the lost and found of local country clubs, schools, etc. Also, lockers can easily be opened with bolt cutters or picked using information found on the lockpicking forum. Some kids even jam their lockers open so they can simply be pulled open. You can easily find these by either trying to open them or looking at the row of holes on lockers with built in locks and going to the ones that aren't lined up. I scored a nice pink iPod from some stupid rich girl. The fact that she likes me only made me guilty.
-Atticus

[Drunken_Master]

If you are at a place like a ballpark or somewhere where people sit down in front of you and stand up alot you can just wait with your hand near their ass, and when they suddenly stand up just slide thier wallet out of thier pocket, dunno how well that'd work but it seems like it might work pretty good.

[AFTER DARK MJ]

Pick pocketing is not the best thing to be doing. You have to be extremely ballsy and skill full to reach in a guys back pocket and feel for his wallet. The best thing I would say is go for the purses in open, outdoor areas, in locations you know well. I would say places like parks or the entrances outside of malls would be a nice place. Watch out for not only cops but those people that wont think twice to help an old lady out by chasing you down and kicking your ass.

[Secure1]

Sorry I haven't posted in a while I've been working the last three weeks and haven't had time.

I used to pickpocket, take it from me if you can do it successfully it can be very profitable especially if you have people you can sell credit cards onto. However the only way to get the skill to do it sucessfully is to go out there and do it for real and trust me you will get caught a lot before you get the skill and it is very time consuming.

Here is an old pickpocket trick. Go somewhere busy like a train station and yell out "Hey, someone just stole my wallet." People will instantly put their hand on the pocket their wallet is in to make sure it is there. Now you are no longer guessing which bulge is a phone, which an iPod and which a wallet. You know where the wallet is.

BTW Atticus, BART stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit notbay area mass transit.

[Atticus]

I was just saying it was a form of mass transit for all of the people in the UK and others who wouldnt know, notice I didnt capitalize it. Very good info by the way. Just about what I was looking for, what are some places with the best money and what is the best way to actually execute the move. Maybe practicing on friends would be a good idea if you played it off as a joke?
-Atticus

[Secure1]

Practicing on friends is good but you can only do it for so long passing it off as a joke before they get pissed off and the problem is if you ask to practice on them then they know and will be looking out for it and feel it almost everytime. The other thing you can do to practice is find a mannequin in a dumpster behind a department store, dress it and practice although it is much harder to know whether people would feel the move. In the end you actually have to just get out there and do it.

As for executing the move it depends on what you are stealing, what pocket it is in, and of course the type of clothing. There is no one generic move, when I used to do it with friends as a teenager each of us had our own style. To be good you have to find what works best for you and that takes practice.

As for the places with the best money since you live in the Bay Area I would reccommend Walnut Creek. Watch out about doing it on the BART or malls etc as in these places to ensure you don't get caught you not only have to worry about the mark feeling it but you also have to learn security camera locations and shield what you're doing from them with your body as you and your mark are moving, the best place is the streets.

The other alternative is go to the airport on the BART. Doing something there is extremely dumb but you can follow tourists with fanny packs etc onto the BART and either wait till they leave the BART and cut the strap with a knife (from personal expierience stanley knives are best) or do it on the BART and just shield from the cameras however most people noticing when sitting and you are stuck on a train with the mark for a while afterwards which is not good so it is best to follow them until they get off. Most tourists have a couple hundred bucks in those things so it is worth following them. Watch out though for the occasional person like me. I thread copper wire through the strap to stop anyone being able to cut it.

Another thing to do is go to a mall, sit on a bench (preferably one that is back to back with another one )with a newspaper, wait for a lady to sit down with a purse on the opposite bench and use the paper to shield the fact that you are putting your hands in her purse and taking whatever you want. Watch out though as mall security are wise to this and if there is a camera around they may still get you.

[Paranoid Ecstasy]

I'm thinking about writing my own little tutorial.
If I do I'll surely post it here.

rapidshare.com/files/54764512/pocket.rar