Wherever tourists go, pickpockets and thieves generally follow. By staying alert and taking a few precautions, you can reduce your risk of falling prey to them.

The first rule to remember is to stay alert at all times. Thieves often work in pairs - one to distract you while the other robs you. Criminals are always coming up with ingenious ways to distract victims, such as starting an argument or faking a fainting spell. While tourists focus on the distraction, a second criminal lifts the loot from purses, pockets, and backpacks.

Pickpockets work in crowded areas, pushing, wedging, or bumping into people to distract them. Play it safe and carry your money in a hidden money belt or a pouch around your neck. Skillful pickpockets can pick just about any pocket, so keep only small amounts of cash in a handbag or wallet. Men should carry wallets in a front pocket, and women should carry their purses with the strap across the chest, or held under one arm. It should not be dangling over the shoulder.

Following are a few general rules that are second nature to seasoned travelers:

• Be wary of unsolicited help. People offering to help you across a busy street, for example, may be trying to distract you.
• Think twice about deals "too good to be true." Gems drastically less expensive than they would be at home are probably cut glass. Bargain-basement-priced antiques are probably fake.
• Listen to other tourists’ stories about scams in the area, and be on the alert for the next imaginative rip-off.

If you keep alert, you don’t need to obsess about possible dangers. Most of the people you meet while away from home will be honest, friendly, accommodating, and happy to see you.