{"id":56704,"date":"2022-05-22T13:19:32","date_gmt":"2022-05-22T17:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therockysafari.com\/?p=56704"},"modified":"2022-05-22T16:03:32","modified_gmt":"2022-05-22T20:03:32","slug":"how-a-child-tried-to-steal-my-money-from-an-atm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therockysafari.com\/2022\/05\/22\/how-a-child-tried-to-steal-my-money-from-an-atm\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Crime: How a Child Tried to Rob Me at an ATM in Bosnia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Travel scams and crimes can run rampant in popular cities full of foreign tourists, unbeknownst to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are so many different types of scams to be aware of. Many cities have signs posted to warn visitors of pickpockets in busy areas like city center squares, buses, subways, and other chaotic places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Beware<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In general, one of the best pieces of advice I could give a new traveler is always to remain consciously aware of your possessions and your surroundings. For an added level of peace of mind, you can purchase anti-theft backpacks<\/strong><\/a> like the ones I use as a deterrent against this type of crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stealing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of course, anti-theft backpacks will only get you so far. Crime can, unfortunately, be far more dangerous… fast… aggressive… and difficult to recognize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve witnessed (and experienced) various forms of crimes & scams in many countries. In Poland, a beggar tried to steal my backpack while I was eating. In Spain, I witnessed a pickpocket in action but I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. I informed the couple about what I believed I saw, but I didn’t react fast enough and her wallet was gone. A lesson learned…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pickpocket<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By far, the most extreme instance of this for me was the time a child attempted to steal cash from me in Sarajevo while I was withdrawing money from an ATM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My story is classic example of why you need to remain aware of your surroundings.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the center of a busy city, I thought I could safely use an ATM to withdraw cash since so many ordinary people were passing by. After all, if the machine was located right there… you would think it would be safe to use then, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah… if only it were so simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still remember this incident quite vividly as the shock factor from it was… so extreme.. for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was standing in the center of Sarajevo when I approached an ATM to withdraw cash for lunch. At the machine, I looked around quickly and went ahead to punch in my PIN. On the machine’s screen, I selected the button for the number of Bosnian Marks that I wanted to take out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Enter<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As I made the selection, a small kid appeared on my left. I immediately assumed he was going to ask for my money as Sarajevo’s city center has many children (and people in general) walking around asking for money from visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I knew it, this kid reached out and slammed his hand against the cash dispenser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In disbelief, I saw his hand covering the dispensor. This kid had every intension of stealing my money and if I didn’t stop him, he was going to run away with it. Every possible moral dilemna whirled through my mind as I was dealing with a child-thief instead of an adult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instinctively, I immediately reached over to his arm and tugged it away from the machine and proceeded to cover the dispensor with my right hand while blocking his body with my left arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a large sum of cash that I needed to withdraw at once to minimize ATM fees knowing I would need cash for the duration of my visit. Many small places would not accept credit cards there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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