Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Tale of the Buenos Wallet Snatcher

All smart travellers know that bus stations, airports, border crossings, and places of general convergence tend to attract all sorts of scum. Beyond the usual beggars, buskers, or loitering laggards, there are a few clever crooks always seeking to steal anything of value. Some schemes go to outrageous measures to ensure a dirty dollar, while others simply prey on ignorance. My encounter in Buenos Aires falls somewhere in the middle, relying mostly on excellent timing combined with a skillful plan.

I’ve handled crack heads in Costa Rica, urchins in Nicaragua, bustling desperates crossing to Cambodia, child clad gypsies in Italy, and even sly thieves in Canadian airport security; all of which tried to steal my belongings. This occurrence only took a bit of ink, some fast hands, and a moment of clouded thinking, and quite literally a single moment.
In retrospect, I really should have followed ALL of my in-transit rules, and should not have left out the’ keeping my debit and credit card separate’. I also should have taken a taxi to the bus station. I also wish I had spat on the woman I knew was trying to rob me. The truth is though, I didn’t know she actually had robbed me until I was nearly at the bus that I eventually boarded. The scheme went like this:

A woman approaches you with a black substance on her fingers, saying you have something on your bag. She offers Kleenex to help clean it up. You politely refuse and keep walking. She persists and even grabs at your backpack buckles. You say no thank you and keep walking …. And that’s it.
Truth is, I actually do have a big black mark on my back of my bag. The mark of shame I’ve been calling it. I almost give the woman credit for doing her job so well. I mean, I kept my purse in front, by my hips the entire time; I kept walking, didn’t stop, and told her to go away. Kind of amazing, but such is my encounter with the Buenos Wallet Snatcher. The sneaky bitch ….

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