Scams/Crime

Peru: Thieves Work Lima’s Top Hotels and Restaurants

Date: June 25th, 2008 |

The U.S. Embassy in Lima has received reports of numerous petty thefts occurring in five-star hotels and prominent restaurants in the capital city. Criminals working together dress up and act as guests to infiltrate conferences and special events where they steal purses, laptops, cell phones and other valuables while attendees are distracted. It is not [read more]

Zambia/Zimbabwe: Zambia Fears Mass Exodus from Zimbabwe Because of Election Violence

Date: June 19th, 2008 |

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Authorities in Zambia are fearful of a mass exodus of immigrants from Zimbabwe in the aftermath of Zimbabwe’s run-off presidential election June 27. President Robert Mugabe appears determined not to let a possible election defeat remove him from power and has threatened to “go to war” to prevent opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai and his party [read more]

Balkan Region: UN Report Calls Balkans One of Europe’s Safest Places

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

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According to a UN report, the Balkan region is now one of the safest in Europe. The report found that this region that was wracked by violence and war in the 1990s now has lower rates of homicide, robbery and rape than Western Europe. Of the nine countries in the study—Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, [read more]

Italy: Thieves Use Drugs to Rob Tourists

Date: May 28th, 2008 |

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Thieves on Italian trains are increasingly using drugs to sedate victims before making off with their possessions. One method they use is to board sleeper trains and spray a narcotic into cabins before helping themselves to luggage. In a related incident, an elderly American tourist on his way to Hungary after a Mediterranean cruise with [read more]

Malaysia: Tighter Security at Kuala Lumpur’s International Airport; Crackdown on Luggage Thieves at Hotels

Date: May 21st, 2008 |

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A specially trained police force is now patrolling Kuala Lumpur’s international airport in response to an armed robbery in April that saw bandits make off with $1 million worth of Singaporean currency. The robbers wounded five people when they held up two currency exchange workers. The new force of 141 officers is now on round-the-clock [read more]

Scotland: Pickpocketing Surge in Edinburgh

Date: June 25th, 2008 |

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A surge of pickpocketing by a gang of thieves that allegedly was not from Scotland occurred in Edinburgh’s central city in recent days, with some 30 thefts reported in Princes Street, Lawnmarket, Waverley Bridge, High Street and Cockburn Street. The incidents prompted police to send in special units to curb the crime and they arrested [read more]

Dominican Republic: Criminals’ Tactics in Santo Domingo

Date: June 11th, 2008 |

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According to the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, one of the best ways to avoid serious losses to thieves is to carry 100 pesos (about $3) in your right front pocket to hand over if confronted. Most thieves want to make a quick escape and 100 pesos is sometimes enough to satisfy them. The Embassy [read more]

Czech Republic: New Tourist Police in Prague

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

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A new tourist police squad is in place for the summer in Prague’s main tourist areas. In the stretch between Wenceslas Square and Prague Castle via Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge, at least seven special police are on patrol from 10 a.m. to midnight. Their mission is to combat street crime, especially pickpockets [read more]

Australia: Sydney Train System Crime Cleanup

Date: May 21st, 2008 |

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In a campaign to clean up crime on and around Sydney’s train system, authorities launched a crackdown involving 1600 rail and police officers who over three months seized 63 weapons and arrested 566 people for assault, theft and robbery. The campaign was prompted by figures that showed crime increasing 12 percent in 2007 to an [read more]

Nicaragua: Armed Robberies on the Tipitapa-Masaya Highway between Managua and Granada

Date: May 21st, 2008 |

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The U.S. Embassy received two reports in two weeks from U.S. citizens who were abducted and robbed while traveling at night from Managua International Airport to Granada along the Tipitapa-Masaya Highway. In both cases the groups were pulled over by men dressed as police who forced them at gunpoint to a remote location far from [read more]