Pickpockets are a rising problem in Wilton Manors and all over South Florida, wherever there are crowded bars and nightclubs full of potential targets. NBC6’s Ari Odzer reports
It’s one of society’s oldest crimes because there are so many potential victims.
Pickpockets are a rising problem in Wilton Manors and all over South Florida, wherever there are crowded bars and nightclubs full of potential targets.
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WATCH HERE“For instance, like last year, we had an average of between two and three per week,” said Detective Bonnie Owens of the Wilton Manors Police Department. “For our small agency, I would say that’s probably a normal amount.”
Wilton Manors had 116 reported pickpocket thefts last year, and 29 so far this year. Owens showed us flyers police sent to all the nightclubs. She says the pickpockets often work as a team, using a classic distraction theft technique.
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“They’ll have two or three individuals walk inside, one person maybe chatting you up and then the other person bumping into you and taking the item from you without you even realizing it,” Owens explained.
”Jerry” lives near Philadephia and does not want his real name used. He was in South Florida last weekend, went to a club in Wilton Manors, and pickpockets snagged his wallet.
He “definitely” sees his case as a cautionary tale.
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“Maybe they saw the cash exchange with the bartender for the tip, I’m not a hundred percent sure of what made me a target, but between me having it in my hand when saying bye to the bartender, closing out and putting it in my front pocket, hitting the parking lot, it was gone,” he said.
Jerry got fraud alerts from his credit cards, but the thieves used his debit card to drain $4,300 from his account.
Police recommend bringing very little to nightclubs: just identification, a credit card, and a small amount of cash. Using a cross-body zippered bag and keeping phones and wallets in front pockets lessens the risk of becoming a victim, and so does just being alert when someone bumps into you or tries to strike up a conversation.
Jerry has another tip: leave your debit card at home. He says in retrospect, he wishes he had only brought credit cards, because he has had no success getting the stolen money back from his bank.
