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Watch your purse warning


MtnMama

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At Walmart or Superlake I never use a debit card-occasionally a CC. After using a CC at Walmart once my CC was suddenly buying furniture in Arizona. This happened to a neighbour also. I complained to the manager but he was not interested.

 

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4 hours ago, Mijo said:

Do not carry a purse! 

I am not sure what planet you people live on, but on mine, few of my clothes have pockets. Where exactly am I supposed to carry my phone, keys, billfold, plastic cardholder, kleenex, little notebook for writing things down, pen, mask.... ????? I carry a purse with a long strap that I wear on my shoulder across my chest. It rests in front of my right arm. When I am shopping with a cart, I loop it around my neck and set it on the cart seat. If I walk away from the cart, I carry my purse with me. I can feel movement if someone touches it.

I shop a very few places that take debit or credit cards. I pay cash for nearly everything.

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Same issue with no pockets on my skirts or blouses.

Most of my shopping is in Ajijic, on foot, in cash.  I put only as much money as I'll need into a small change purse.  I do not carry a phone or any cards; just my keys and the change purse.   I carry them in a cheap tote bag (the kind they give away...have 5 from Telecable annual promos at the Feria Maestros del Arte).  I had a seamstress sew zippered pockets on them.   I keep notepaper, pen, hand sanitizer, tissues and a spare mask in the pocket.  

My bags are well-worn, a bit ragged and some are stained from hundreds of shopping trips (though I wash regularly).  I probably look like a bag lady, not worth a second look from a potential thief.  

 

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There was a rash of purse grabbers in Vancouver targetting elderly, old fashioned dressing, Asian ladies. They often carry several thousands of dollars in cash. Not trusting banks. I know contractors paid in 100's of thousands all cash to build homes. There was a time when this was common in Puerto Vallarta too, houses/condos built anonymously all in cash. "Blue" money, easy come, easy go. Ask no questions, and I will tell you no lies.

Anything better than the ladies who store their cash in their bras. That is gross. Who knows where that money has been?

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All you men saying not to carry a purse- you may walk around with your pockets bulging with your keys, phones, money, etc, but a lot of women's clothing doesn't have extensive pockets. In my purse (and all these things are used when I go out on a shopping trip)- My little book with my shopping lists and other needed info, a pen, my phone, my house keys and my car keys, my reading glasses, my wallet with driver's license, store cards, debit card and some cash, my sunglasses, and I also use it to put small bags of stuff I have purchased. If I was just walking to one store and back home, yes, I could just carry a small amount of money and nothing else. But when I go out shopping, I'm driving and try to get 2 weeks worth of purchases done at once, which entails many stops and takes an entire day.

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Amazing all the things people need to carry into the grocery store.  But hey I guess I'm unusual in that I don't need sunglasses, pens, house keys, cash, and a wallet full of needless items to buy groceries. 

All I need is my ID, and CCard,  and car key in my pocket, and I always carry a phone.  The shopping list is on my phone which is in my hand

Women's handbags are a habit.  Also security experts recommend that you keep your car keys separate from your house keys.

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5 hours ago, MtnMama said:

I am not sure what planet you people live on, but on mine, few of my clothes have pockets. Where exactly am I supposed to carry my phone, keys, billfold, plastic cardholder, kleenex, little notebook for writing things down, pen, mask.... ????? I carry a purse with a long strap that I wear on my shoulder across my chest. It rests in front of my right arm. When I am shopping with a cart, I loop it around my neck and set it on the cart seat. If I walk away from the cart, I carry my purse with me. I can feel movement if someone touches it.

I shop a very few places that take debit or credit cards. I pay cash for nearly everything.

Ever notice who posts threads like this one? They never seem to learn and are "surprised" when something like this happens. :D

 

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4 hours ago, Bisbee Gal said:

Same issue with no pockets on my skirts or blouses.

Most of my shopping is in Ajijic, on foot, in cash.  I put only as much money as I'll need into a small change purse.  I do not carry a phone or any cards; just my keys and the change purse.   I carry them in a cheap tote bag (the kind they give away...have 5 from Telecable annual promos at the Feria Maestros del Arte).  I had a seamstress sew zippered pockets on them.   I keep notepaper, pen, hand sanitizer, tissues and a spare mask in the pocket.  

My bags are well-worn, a bit ragged and some are stained from hundreds of shopping trips (though I wash regularly).  I probably look like a bag lady, not worth a second look from a potential thief.  

 

This is beginning to sound like we live a 3rd world country and not the happy easy going, friendly place of yester year..watch this watch that...grand papas & mothers can not cope  

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54 minutes ago, lakeside7 said:

This is beginning to sound like we live a 3rd world country and not the happy easy going, friendly place of yester year..watch this watch that...grand papas & mothers can not cope  

It is a 3rd world country in some ways.

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4 hours ago, Mostlylost said:

Amazing all the things people need to carry into the grocery store.  But hey I guess I'm unusual in that I don't need sunglasses, pens, house keys, cash, and a wallet full of needless items to buy groceries. 

All I need is my ID, and CCard,  and car key in my pocket, and I always carry a phone.  The shopping list is on my phone which is in my hand

Women's handbags are a habit.  Also security experts recommend that you keep your car keys separate from your house keys.

Who said anything about carrying all this to "the grocery store"?  When I go on a shopping trip, I go to Costco, my upholstery supply shop, the fabric store, Home Depot, Mega, and usually about 3 other various stops. I'm not some geriatic who can only manage to do one thing and then go home for a nap. And who said anything about the car key and the house keys being on the same key chain? 

So when you carry your phone in your hand, that means you only have one hand to use. Or you have to set it down somewhere. Seems really inconvenient to me. Although I realize almost everyone walks around with a phone in their hand these days, as if it's another appendage.

Women's bags aren't a "habit". They're used because they're useful. Since you don't carry a handbag, perhaps you shouldn't make presumptuous statements on why others do.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Jim Bowie said:

Ever notice who posts threads like this one? They never seem to learn and are "surprised" when something like this happens

Could you be any more condescending? This was posted by someone who wanted to warn others. She didn't say or indicate anything about being "surprised". And I said in my OP here that I should have known better after 18 years in Mexico, but these thieves are clever and no one goes around being on high alert every moment they are out and about. 

 

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After being hacked for a lot of money in Ajijic either restaurant, furniture store or Walmart, I don't use debit card or credit card anymore.  I pay cash and when I need more money I use the ATM at the bank.  I only carry on me, money for the day and keys.  I was lucky and had bank insurance and got my money back.

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20 hours ago, Upfront said:

this happens inEVERY country. how silly

No it doesn't, it is quite rare in Canada and many other countries but common in Mexico.

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A friend sent me this related note:

Quote
I took a personal safely class year ago, and a very important take-aways:
 
1. You don’t have to be “nice” to everybody
 
2. People with ill intent often initiate their plot by engaging their victim in chit-chat, seemingly harmless conversation (complimenting your clothing, asking for the time, asking directions, etc.)
 
3. Give yourself permission to step away far enough to avoid bodily contact (as a purse grab, or worse
 
4. Or just get away quickly
 
5. The person with ill intent may be a man, woman, or even a child/teen
 
You may feel awkward or bad afterward (I was mean and rude!) But better safe than sorry. The instructor stressed that you don’t have to move around in fear and nasty behavior, but just be aware of your surroundings and move with intent.

And just for the record, we gave tourist NOB very similar suggestions about avoiding theft. Maybe not in Canada, but certainly in the States.

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The reason thieves hangout in Walmart is there are so many easy pickings there.. 
You see expat women wandering around oblivious to their surroundings, their bags laying in the cart, so many times you see them step away or turn their back on the cart and then they wonder why they have been robbed and post on here with righteousness indignation.. The management at Walmart is too polite to say to them “Well you got what you deserve”  Sadly its the way it is here and in many other parts of the world. If we all take a minute to think about what we are doing it would eliminate many of these types of theft. 

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4 hours ago, TelsZ4 said:

The reason thieves hangout in Walmart is there are so many easy pickings there.. 
You see expat women wandering around oblivious to their surroundings, their bags laying in the cart, so many times you see them step away or turn their back on the cart and then they wonder why they have been robbed and post on here with righteousness indignation.. The management at Walmart is too polite to say to them “Well you got what you deserve”  Sadly its the way it is here and in many other parts of the world. If we all take a minute to think about what we are doing it would eliminate many of these types of theft. 

I don't think there are many "expat women"  so clueless as to leave their bag in the cart. That is not the scenario of the thefts that were mentioned in this thread. Nor have I ever seen any posts on the topic of theft which express "righteous indignation". 

And Walmart management can't do anything about thieves out in the parking lot. Complaining there is pointless. When I got robbed in the parking lot, I went directly to the security office for the entire shopping complex ad spoke to the head of security there, who came with me out to the parking lot where I showed him what area it happened in and described the thief.

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3 minutes ago, mudgirl said:

I don't think there are many "expat women"  so clueless as to leave their bag in the cart. That is not the scenario of the thefts that were mentioned in this thread. Nor have I ever seen any posts on the topic of theft which express "righteous indignation". 

And Walmart management can't do anything about thieves out in the parking lot. Complaining there is pointless. When I got robbed in the parking lot, I went directly to the security office for the entire shopping complex ad spoke to the head of security there, who came with me out to the parking lot where I showed him what area it happened in and described the thief.

I often point out to women in Walmart that it is risky to leave their purse unattended in their cart. Usually they thank me but sometimes I just get dirty looks.

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On 8/20/2020 at 6:57 PM, cedros said:

It is a 3rd world country in some ways.

When lived in L.A., my car was broken into one time and stolen another. When I moved to Portland, OR, my car was stolen, my garage burglarized, there was an armed standoff next door between the cops and some car thieves, and we had a drive by shooting on our street. Nothing like that has happened to me in my 13 years living in Mexico. I guess 3rd World is a bit broader than a lot of people think.

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Look at this from the Walmart manager's point of view. If he identifies the thieves and has them arrested, they don't come in his store and use the stolen credit cards to buy thousands of pesos worth of merchandise. It's all about the bottom line....

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6 hours ago, cookj5 said:

When lived in L.A., my car was broken into one time and stolen another. When I moved to Portland, OR, my car was stolen, my garage burglarized, there was an armed standoff next door between the cops and some car thieves, and we had a drive by shooting on our street. Nothing like that has happened to me in my 13 years living in Mexico. I guess 3rd World is a bit broader than a lot of people think.

That is a different matter that has nothing to do with 3rd world conditions.

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I have several Travelon anti-theft purses, and I love them. The main strap has cables in it, would need a bolt cutter to get through them, the sides have high-strength steel wire in them, non-slashable, zipper locks, and the strap can be wrapped around a chair, or the grocery cart, very secure. I highly recommend them. Pretty colors, too, all sizes.

Www.travelon.com

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