Beware of Pickpockets in Belgium!
Photo by Steven Depolo/ Flickr CC
While there are pickpockets all over the world, this problem seems especially rampant in Belgium. The train station seems to be the main place where this crime takes place. Some of the pickpockets in Belgium have even been known to spray a glue on people’s clothing hoping to get the person to take it off or distract them while they steal that person’s valuables. Make sure in the railway stations that you only buy your tickets from the ticket window and not from anyone who is trying to help you.
The pickpockets in Belgium also hang out around people’s hotels and areas where tourists usually hang out. One scam that has happened often is one in which they will casually ask someone for a lighter, befriend them, start talking about football, and do a play tackle and steal that person’s wallet while they seem to be just horsing around.The area around the Grand Palace is also an area to watch out for. These pickpockets don’t usually work alone, but often work in small groups, so remember, you will be safer if you can get with a group of people and look out for each other.
Of course, it’s always best not to “announce” that you are a tourist by traveling around in Belgium with a map or Lonely Planet in plain view. If you get lost, the best thing to do is find a coffee shop or restaurant, take a seat, and ask for directions to your destination. Make eye contact with the people around you when you are walking down the street. Never travel down the street with your passport or large amounts of cash. Leave these items in your hotel safe. Don’t flash expensive electronics like a camera or your iPhone. People will steal them right out of your hands. For the most part, Belgium is a safe area, but you just want to be careful and watch out for the pickpockets who can ruin your vacation.
It’s not just pickpockets you have be weary of when visiting or moving to Belgium. The US Embassy in Brussels had warned against internet con artists located in Belgium. It appears that Belgium serves as a central hub for different type of fraudsters (who might be not located in Belgium at all, and only claim so) that try to seek for lonely individuals online and persuade them to wire them money abroad to Belgium.
These scams are different from the “Nigerian Scams”. Whereas in the Nigerian scams you are told you’ve inherited a large amount of money and need to send a downpayment for the money to arrive, targeting mostly older people, the “Belgian Scams” focus on any type of individual who is looking to make connections online. They work on their victims slowly, and try to establish trust before asking for financial aid. What both these scams have in common is that scammers will be often looking for the other party to send money to them via services like Western Union and Moneygram which enable clients to receive it anonymously.
It’s important to be extremely cautious with people you meet online and seek for ways to verify their identity as much as possible, and never commit to help them financially until you know them. Choosing the right money transfer company can also help you not be scammed.
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I was at a train staion in Bruxelles. travel center, I noticed there was a person excuse me to say a black man that was very strange looking, sad faced, staring at me with a stub Number on his hand. So my number was up in the monitor, that person was just standing there. I finished my bussiness got my ticket and left in a hurry. when we were ready to board i found out that my wallet was gone, credit cards,drive licences and cash. went back to the travel center and ask if acicidentally my wallet was left, the service person said he saw me put in my pocket. one thing I remembered that this people uses some magic trance on you. I did not feel anything or someone distracted me. well it happens and I was not aware of at that occasion.
Yes, they are very good at what they do….
Pickpockets are alive and well as I found out on a recent work trip.
I must have been targeted at some point during the week when I pulled it out in public.
I have carried a breast pocket wallet for over 35 years and never thought someone would be able to steal it without me knowing it.
As luck would have it, I didn’t have much cash in it- Less than $60.oo , my driver’s license, work id’s and two company credit cards.
Just hope the police catch the pickpocket.
Very eye opening experience
So sorry to hear that happened to you!
This one is very true. We should always watch out, not only in Belgium but this can happen all over the world.
the Belgian recently posted…Avoiding Airport Taxi Scams
Thanks for sharing! Had a friend who was a victim as well. She left her iPhone in one of her coat pockets, walked through a crowded market and swoosh, it was gone.
They are all around in the major cities of Belgium (e.g. Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Liege, Mons, Ostend), but of course mostly in Brussels. Definitely do watch out at the train stations such as Gare du Nord, Brussels Central Station, Gare du Midi as well as at Grand Place.
David from travelscams.org recently posted…New scam not published on the site
went to Brussels first time in Belgium and fresh out of airport went to brussels 2-3 hours later after getting ripped of by a mile by airport taxis, they wanted 25 euro to take me to a hotel 4 minutes drive, and when i said no thats not right, he looked at his pals they all nodded, i understood they all were crooks which most people were there. as we got to brussel by coach fairly priced as its ran by a proper company who dont employ crooks. we got to brussels and within 10mins of being in brussel our iphone gets stolen, i have never ever been pickpocked my whole life, i was happy and expected this country to have standards and lovely. i was wrong, i learnt as i started asking people for help and nobody would help, I MEAN nobody, they laughed or walked away rudely. i was stuck without iphone which had my boarding pass for flight , my coach tickets back to airport. I was completely stuck. police did a great job at wasting over 4hours and a half of my time ending in saying (WE CANT HELP ASK POLICE IN YOUR COUNTRY OR IPHONE COMPPANY FOR HELP and LAUGHED IN MY FACE as they did a great job at making me run around call my network provider for serial number and they tell me we dont use mobile trackers as we dont have any of this facilities THIS IS THE CAPITOL CITY OF PARLIAMENT STUFF wtf) (i thankfully only spent only one day in Belgium)will never come back, it cost me over 100 euro to get back to my hotel. as one of the street guy who did seem to listen to me and understand me, had scammed me too. as i had no options i end up at a taxi stand, i ask the nearest guy to me for which direction the bus stand is which was opposite the road, he lied to me and said there are no more buses at this time that go to airport, I did not believe him as it was only 11.40pm nearly midnight surely people go to the airport 24hours, he then walked me accross the street showed me the bus timetable and yes he was right the bus timetable showed last bus at 11.30 by now it was 15mins past that time, i agreed to get taxi as i have no other option in the world. its cold and dark i am emotional drained, i get to airport and we agreed for him to take me for 120 euro, every other guy i asked on this stand said 180euro for the 45minute drive to airport. i get out of airport and i go to the company who i bought my coach ticket from they say to me coach comes every hour 24/7, i said how is that possible i read the bloody timetable form the right coach stand and right location. they simply said maybe coach timetable needs updating and editing to show all times sorry. SO you see how the city of brussel works together with criminals to help them steal money from tourist by tricking them to the point, even an well educated person with alot of knowledge about pick pockets criminals and all that can be scammed as there police and people who live there are together in this criminal act. so as a tourist you are trapped no matter what. I HAVE TRAVELLED MANY MANY COUNTRIES THIS IS WORST EVER, NEVER EVER AGAIN. its a trap full of greedy hungry pigs who will have no morals or human. even police laugh in your face, as a tourist you are FUCKED.
I was also robbed at Antwerp railway station. My wallet was taken away by a immigrant young man looking as if from Afghanistan. I lost more than 60 euro, credit card, ATM cards, driving licence, ID cards etc. It was a harrowing experience. It was at around 11 pm. I immediately reported to Station Master there. They asked to go to police help room there. I along with my friend went there. It was closed. Then I went to Police central office. There they have given documents for obtaining ID card. They were not keen in registering a pick pocketing case. When I specifically requested for it, they did. I have handed over printouts of my bank statements, which showed contactless payments with my debit card in nearby shops. I located two shops later. They all have CCTV cameras and police never tried for getting that images of the thief. They are not considering pick pocketing as a crime or they dont want to involve in such petty things as it increases their work.
I’m so sorry to hear this happened to you…