How Paris Pickpockets Choose Their Victims (Are You on the List?)
By the time a Paris pickpocket puts a hand anywhere near you, the decision is already made: you were chosen minutes earlier, often from the other end of the platform. We take the metro every week, and Antoine once pulled a pickpocket’s fingers out of his own front pocket. In this video we explain how Paris pickpockets choose their victims, the seven things that put you on their list, and the simple habits we use so we are never the easiest person in the carriage.
The four signals that get you picked
- A phone in your back pocket, a backpack zipper within reach, or a bag worn behind you.
- A loose grip on your phone near the train doors. Parisians hold theirs firmly.
- Moving like a tourist: stopping, checking signs and breaking the flow. The Bonjour RATP app tells you which car to board and which exit to take.
- Patting your pockets when you hear the “beware of pickpockets” announcement, which shows thieves exactly where your valuables are.
The three moments they move
First, the manufactured crowd: someone blocks a door, staircase or corridor while others push from behind. Second, the train doors, especially just before the closing signal, when a thief can grab a phone and jump off. Third, the escalator, where someone can stand right behind your bag or create a jam at the end. Distractions like dropped items or large sheets of paper held up to ask for directions are often part of the same trick.
What we do instead
We check our things before going underground, keep everything in a crossbody bag zipped in front, and avoid standing by the doors. As a couple we face each other and watch each other’s backs. Alone, stand with your back to a wall. Leave your passport and spare cards in the hotel safe, and if a train looks wrong, wait three minutes for the next one. Less than 1% of visitors are pickpocketed, so this is not a reason to fear Paris.
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