What crimes have you been a victim of in BA?

[erian]

Nothing has ever happened to me!! : )

And I don't live in a 'barrio cerrado', or would you believe, i don't clutch onto my bag like a maniac or look over my shoulder every 2 seconds!! It's a hell of a lot safer than this blog would have you believe…

Can't believe someone has posted this as 'crime', "architect seriously overbilled me". Maybe shop around more or don't be so naive! This will happen to you anywhere if you just take it!

 

[Rmanyc]

Today I was robbed in the middle of the day in San Telmo. Granted, I should have known better. I am 6-2 200 lbs and not an easy target. I was wearing a Rolex explorer....my bad. 6 guys - 3 on foot and 3 on motos came up. One put me in a chokehold from behind. I struggled as I was not sure if I had slighted someone or they were police or something. The one who grabbed me got a dose of hitting the sidewalk hard. I didn't think it possible to get robbed in the middle of the day in BA. They only got my watch - not my iphone or wallet. Thats only because i fought back and my friends raised a lot of noise. Now I know it is totally possible. The moral of the story? Don't wear watches, carry expensive stuff, or underestimate brazen criminals. They exist and they're watching your every move.

 

[citygirl]

I don't know anyone with a Rolex (or at least who made the mistake of wearing it in public) who didn't get mugged and have it stolen. Literally, every single person I know. It's pretty much a guarantee if you wear it, you will get mugged for it. Sorry it happened to you.

 

[Jicassochicaba]

Lived in BsAs off and on for three years 2004-2007 and have traveled back and forth for vacation since then. I never encountered anything remotely threatening. In fact, when I returned to the US in 2007, within 5 days of being back, my purse was stolen with lightening speed at a freaking Target while perusing the baby aisle. It makes me laugh thinking about it, for all the times I nervously shoved everything on my lap during a meal in anticipation of a theft in BsAs and then snag when I least expected it. Go figure.

 

[Farenheit]

I was coming home late from a tango class in S Telmo last night with two friends. A group of 5 guys followed us into the middle of the 9 de julio and hovered around us, stalking. It was a clutch moment, although they decided to leave us alone, and I was lucky to be with a local guy. The woman in our group, also local. looked pretty freaked out as I'm sure did I. Only an hour before in the tango class my friend had been telling me off for wearing my wedding ring in the street!!! He said it was dangerous to do so and an invitation to muggers even if it was only worth a couple of joints.

 

[anishp]

Why such negative posts especially in the festive season. More positivity pls!!

 

[scotttswan]

Why such negative posts especially in the festive season. More positivity pls!!

Because its easy to let your guard down when you are having fun, especially around the festive season, and that can be a bad idea when you are walking in the streets of BA.

 

[ElQueso]

Didn't put this in my vote since it didn't happen to me, but I did witness this. Last weekend we were approaching TGI Friday in Alto Palermo and witnessed a guy come running out clutching something to his chest and a few moments later (before we could enter the restaurant) a woman came running out screaming at the guy. She ran after him a ways, a cop standing on the corner where the patio ends (the guy had run past him) asked her what the deal was, and she just threw up her hands and didn't even say anything to the cop as far as we could tell. We went on in and she came in a moment later and started talking (well, she was a bit hysterical, not that I blame her) to the hostess, right in front of us. The guy was a client who'd just paid his bill and left, then apparently grabbed the woman's purse off the booth which was sitting next to her, unfortunately on the aisle side) as he was leaving.

We turned around and left at that point, but the woman was sitting down across from her friend with her face buried in her hands as we were leaving...

 

[voyagingknoxvillian]

I have such a fear of sundays late afternoon/early evening, when hardly anything is open. I have seen numerous motochorros stealing phones from people at bus stops on Sunday nights.

In Feb 2012, I was walking home from having mates with a friend on a Sunday at about 7pm (it was still light outside) in my middle-to-upper class urban barrio. During the week a kiosko is open at this particular spot, keeping the corner safer....anyway, a teenage popped up from around the corner and tried to grab my very small purse. It was the kind of purse that crossed my chest. I know I shouldn't have done this, but my gut reaction was to fight him off (I'm a girl, but a pretty tall and muscular one). I started kicking him and screaming at the top of my lungs. The kid was my size and there were people close by. After a struggle for a moment, he realized he couldn't get my purse.
.
In the confusion of the moment, he ran off with one of my havaianas that had come off in the struggle, and left one of his on the sidewalk.

That being said, I would never recommend a female fighting her assailant, I just got stupid lucky this one time, but he could have had a weapon......

 

[toongeorges]

They stole an empty shoe bag in Salon Canning and in El Beso they stole an umbrella + a shoe bag with 1 peso + a pair of 2 year old shoes.

I could understand people steal a shoe bag, because they may think there is something inside or an umbrella, because it is raining. I do not understand though why people would take my shoes (they were not in the shoe bag).