Toronto woman loses $4,000 to pickpocket on visit to France
A Toronto teacher said she was looking forward to visiting a friend in France this past July until she became the victim of a pickpocket on the Paris subway system.
"Once I got back to my friend’s place I looked in my backpack and my wallet was gone. It contained about 200 euros and my debit and credit card," said Robyn Selvam.
Selvam said she had used her credit card to buy train tickets and had to enter her PIN into the payment terminal.
“I think someone must have seen me put in my PIN and then stole my wallet and credit card," said Selvam.
Selvam said she called her bank, Scotiabank, but was placed on hold for three hours trying to get through. In that time, thieves were able to rack up $3,932 in purchases and cash advances before the credit card was cancelled.
When Selvam contacted Scotiabank, there was an investigation and she was told in a letter from the claims department that, "we have determined you (or another cardholder on the account) have demonstrated gross negligence in failing to fulfill your obligations in safeguarding your card, account, pin or password.”
Selvam was told she was responsible for the losses.
"It's a huge amount to pay back, especially since I didn't spend any of this," said Selvam.
Travel expert Loren Christine said that when travelling, especially in Europe, you have to be on the lookout for pickpockets who try to spot tourists in popular crowded areas.
“I think you have to be aware of it, hopefully it doesn't darken your vacation too much, but it's something you always have to be aware of to make sure it doesn’t happen to you,” said Christie.
Christie said pickpockets often use distractions to try and steal from people by creating a diversion or working with another person.
“If some stranger is coming up to you and getting close too you that shouldn't be happening, and there is no reason for it to happen. That should be a red flag and you want to keep an eye on your valuables," said Christie.
Christie recommends that when sight seeing in a city, take only what you need for the day, putting your wallet and phone in your front pocket and leaving valuables and your passport in a hotel safe or other safe place.
The 10 worst places for pickpockets in the world according to the website Money.co.uk are the following.
1. Las Ramblas, Barcelona Spain
2. Eiffel Tour, Paris, France
3. Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
4. Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic
5. Sacré-Cœur, Paris, France
6. Colosseum, Rome, Italy
7. Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic
8. Louvre, Paris, France
9. Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris, France
10. Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain
CTV News reached out to Scotiabank on Selvam’s behalf and Manager of Canadian Banking Communications for Scotiabank, Elizabeth McFadden said “Scotiabank cannot comment on specific customer matters for privacy reasons but we take cases of any allegations of fraud very seriously and will continue to work directly with this customer.”
"At Scotiabank, we have strong measures in place to help ensure the security of our customers’ financial transactions and the confidentiality of their information. We also encourage customers to help us prevent fraud on their accounts which includes measures such as setting strong, hard-to-guess passwords, not shoring their passwords with others or writing them down in easy-to-find places, and shielding the keypad, ATM or other devices when entering their PIN or other access information.”
Selvam told CTV News she was contacted yesterday and told the charges run up by the pickpockets would be reimbursed back to her credit card.
“I am so grateful. Almost $4,000 is a lot of money for me so this was a huge relief” said Selvam.
Before taking a trip make a list of everything that's in your wallet and take photos of your credit cards and passport and consider using a money belt or having secret pockets with zippers that aren't easily accessible.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.