Push-pockets

[snopes]

Comment: Hi, could you tell me if there is any truth to this (below)?

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I am sure you all have heard of "pick pocket".
A new trend "push pocket".
Read on for your own good


A few days ago a new type of crime has surfaced in town. It goes something
like this:- Somebody slips a hand-phone into your pocket, sometimes it
could be just a wallet with an identity card and a few ringgits.

A few minutes later, the 'owner' comes up and confronts you, the 'thief '.
He makes a big commotion that you s tole his stuff.

You, caught unaware, are then pulled aside by the 'owner' for a settlement
you are intimidated and threatened that if you do not pay up the police
will be brought in. If you pay up, this 'owner' lets you go. If not, the
police are brought in.

Another strange thing is that there always seems to be a 'witness' to the
your 'theft'.

I am told this often happens to foreigners at the Kuala Lumpur
International Airport (KLIA) or even at LRT trains. Given that you're
'guilty until proven innocent' as far as the Malaysian police are
concerned, I understand some poor people are in jail for these 'offences'.

At the KLIA, the 'owner' throws his hand-phone and wallet with the few
ringgit notes into the luggage trolley of a just arrived passenger. The
drama unfolds a few minutes later. The real culprit has easily convinced
our Malaysian police to arrest the real victim (if he has not paid up the
'settlement' demand). This is a very seri ous matter.

This is another form of extortionists operating in broad daylight. They
are disgusting criminals who will do anything to rob and steal. The
sickening part of the whole scenario is that unless you pay the "quoted
settlement" money, they will put you in real trouble by calling the
police.

The real culprit gets back his hand-phone and wallet but the real victim
( i.e. could be any one of us) is thrown into the police lock up and
charged in court.

So do be very careful, otherwise you may end up as a "thief" as you have
no way to prove your innocence.

Pass it on..... let more people be aware of such things around them.

Geh Cheng Lok & Co,Advocates & Solicitors,
No.20, King Street (Top Floor),10200 Penang ,
Malaysia.Tel. No: 604-2617464 Fax. No: 604-2611840

[Fun with a 9mm]

I can't imagine that this happens very often, if at all. It would take twice the skill to put something IN a pocket than it takes to remove something. Wouldn't it?

[Arriah]

Unless you have loose pockets, I'd think yes. My pants tend to be pretty snug and I'd notice anything being put into my pockets.

[Mycroft]

Well, I have jacket and coat pockets which I would not put valuables in. but in a crowd it would be easy for somebody else to put something in there without my knowledge (I would know if they put anything in my trouser pocket)

[Not_Done_Living]

It wouldn't say much for the police if they totally missed the pattern of a large number of foreign visitors committing thefts such as this.

[DarkFeline]

Originally Posted by Fun with a 9mm

I can't imagine that this happens very often, if at all. It would take twice the skill to put something IN a pocket than it takes to remove something. Wouldn't it?

And not to mention having the balls to get the police to arrest the victim. The word "convince" appears twice but I'd like to seriously know how one manages to do so.

Originally Posted by Not_Done_Living

It wouldn't say much for the police if they totally missed the pattern of a large number of foreign visitors committing thefts such as this.

There's also the local newspapers. They wouldn't miss a chance to spring onto a sizzling story like this.

Originally Posted by Fun with a 9mm

It would take twice the skill to put something IN a pocket than it takes to remove something. Wouldn't it?

Yes...and be almost pointless.
Seems they would probably make more money just pick-pocketing things the old fashioned way instead of wasting ten minutes or more arguing per mark.
Plus I think criminals usually try to fly under the radar of most law enforcement types. It seems to me that even the laziest or most crooked cops would eventually be forced to do something about the same two guys losing their wallet twenty times a day at the air port or wherever.

We should call that phone number and accuse whoever answers of stealing our "hand phones".