STREET CRIME AND HOW TO AVOID IT.(during study ABROAD)

Petty thievery is as old as cities themselves. Here are some thoughts about how to protect yourself from unpleasant encounters with the criminal element.

• Don't carry with you more cash than you can stand to lose. Traveler's checks are probably the safest way to take money abroad.
  
  
• One of the wonders of the modern world is the automatic teller machine (ATM), which allows the wandering student to withdraw money from his or her US-based checking account while abroad. The usual warnings about ATM use--keep the ATM card safe and inaccessible, keep your personal identification number in your head rather than on paper, avoid making withdrawals from isolated or unprotected locations--apply to ATM's abroad with equal force.
  
  
• Money belts and travel pouches are useful devices for frustrating pickpockets. If you use a billfold don't put it in the hip pocket of your jeans or the inside breast pocket of your jacket. It's much harder for a thief to extract a purse from a front trousers pocket or a pocket inside buttoned-up clothing.
  
  
• Your passport can be as enticing as your money. You should stow it, like your wallet, in a relatively inaccessible pouch or pocket. Or you may wish to leave it at home (that is, your residence abroad) and carry a photocopy.
  
  
• Do make photocopies of your passport and other important papers. Make a list of your travelers' check and credit card numbers. Keep these documents in a separate pocket, pouch, or bag.
  
  
• If you carry a bag keep it close and keep it closed. In crowded or threatening situations hug it to your body. Use only a bag that closes with a snap, tie, or buckle. Never leave your bag unattended. If you place it beside you on a bench be aware of who's nearby.
  
  
• Pickpockets and purse-snatchers often work in pairs. Be aware that an importuning stranger may be a decoy engaged in distracting you from the malicious work of his or her associate. Sad to say, a child may be a partner in this sort of crime.
  
  
• Avoid crowds as much as possible. Public conveyances, because they tend to compress strangers into dense masses, are especially attractive to pickpockets. We would not ask you to avoid such conveyances, but do keep your antennae up.