As a general rule, gringos are somewhat untouchable
on drug-lord rules. Your chances of being kidnapped, held hostage,
etc are a lot smaller than that of an upper class Brazilian’s.
But regardless, drug lords’ powers are confined to only the
smarter or bigger crooks. The small fish, such as young pick-pockets
and out-of-town criminals, take their chances.
Beware on empty
streets just as much as overly crowded events. The new age
in pick pocketing (some new Eastern-European techniques are now
arriving in Brazil) is to create a situation in a crowd where
your hands are distracted while they go for your pockets.
A good
example is the Russian mustard trick, where they put mustard on
your head in the subways.
While you check to see what the heck is on your head is, they
go thru your pockets.
Another common here in Brazil is the “fight
breaks out” trick, when right in front of you there is a
scuffle in the middle of a crowd. While everyone is being pushed
away from the scuffle, and while you are holding someone who is
being pushed onto you, someone behind you (sometimes a woman)
goes through your pockets.
Don’t be a hero: if you are held at gun point, slowly pass
over the money and leave it at that.Get the hell out after any
dangerous situation: if you managed to stop a pick pocket in his
tracks, get out, as his partners may come after you.
Another technique
very common is to rob while on a bike. They can snatch your cellular
phone, necklace or purse while passing by at high speeds.
Don’t
trust the cops’ intelligence or integrity: if you get pick-pocketed,
say what-the-hell and go on with your tour instead of getting
caught up in reporting incidents and other red tape. Not only
is that an exercise of futility, but it will eat up your time
and mood.
Like a friend of mine said after getting $200 pick-pocketed
in the north of Brazil: “Fudge it, I consider it a small tourist
tax” and went back to drinking. Not the best point of view
as a long-term philosophy, but it worked fine that week.
Gringo Give-Aways
As a general rule, you want to dress down. The grungy look will
do you good. Since you are on vacation, you don’t need to
worry about your reputation or poor service. Here are some general
rules to abide by, to better guarantee your safety (specially
when anywhere between Flamengo and Centro or the north side):
BASEBALL CAPS
Dead give-aways.
HAIR CUT
Leave the “bed head ” waxed hair style for the
trendier clubs.
ACCENT
When in a crowd of dubious types, keep your talking to a minimum.
SHIRT
T-shirt instead of a hawaiian shirt. Leave the Brazilian soccer
team shirt for back home. Brazilians only wear during soccer world cup games.
MONEY & IDS
Don’t bring too much nor too little money, as they will shake
you down till they get something. Don’t carry a passport,
nor all your credit cards or more than R$200. bring one major
cc and one form of ID: student, drivers’ license or state.
Don’t trust your pockets, keep them zipped or buttoned up.
CAMERA
Don’t walk around thinking the strap will guarantee your
camera’s safety.
BERMUDAS
You can wear bermudas, but wear the styles the Brazilian boys
wear, not what’s in style back home.
SANDALS
Wear shoes or flip-flops instead.
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RIO SAFETY TIPS
