This is a blog post I was not planning or hoping to do, but yesterday morning I woke up to a frantic text message from a close photographer friend of mine. He told me that he had just gone down to breakfast, and upon returning to his hotel room, found that it had been broken into and they took EVERYTHING.
All of his camera gear, his laptop, all his backup drives, his clothes, his wallet. They left his passport (how nice of them) and took everything else! This meant that, not only was he left with no clothing or equipment, he was left with no images from these Olympics. As I told him, I think that the only thing worse would be injury or death.
He is a big strong guy who was literally brought to tears from this experience. The stress of this almost made me sick.
He was staying at the Marriott here in Milan, and made sure that his door was closed and locked before he left to eat. Upon arriving back at the room, he first thought that the cleaners had come, until he realized that everything was gone.
He immediately went to the hotel staff and wanted them to review the video footage and key card data, and they refused until the police were involved. He called the police and they came right away. When they arrived, they asked him if he had Apple AirTags in any of his bags, and at the point, he remembered that he did indeed have them. Using his iPhone, he was able to see the location of the missing equipment, and it was still close by.
After the police and investigators made a plan, they went to that location with his phone and found a person of interest AND almost all of my friend's belongings. Everything except his wallet, which appears to be long gone. And yes, it was an inside job with an employee of the Marriott entering his room and stealing everything. The good news is, the man was arrested. The bad news is, no wallet and no apologies from the Marriott.
As of early this morning, he got most of this things back, but he is done! He flew home this morning. Imagine the stress of this!
To make matters worse, I texted this story to my friend from NBC, and he told me that his cameraman had both of his phones pickpocketed in Cortina yesterday. Needless to say, I am watching my gear closer than ever now.
About 4 nights ago, I returned to my small hotel and noticed that my door had not been fully closed by the cleaning people. It had been unlocked from noon until 1am! First thing in the morning, I went down and told them about this and they have since fixed the door so that it closes fully without having to slam it. They also lock the front doors of the hotel after midnight, and we have to ring a bell to get access. At first I thought this was pointless, but not now.
Today I got on one of the metro trains and was standing by the door. A couple of guys got on and stood near me. An Italian women was standing behind them and motioned to me to watch my bag and to move away from the door.
Things I am changing:
* I have been taking my room key with me everyday, but since it has the hotel name and room number on the key, I am now leaving it at the front desk when I leave each day (as recommended by the hotel).
* I have increased the number of photos I am backing up to the cloud.
* I have backed up all my images to another external SSD, which is in my locker at the ice hockey arena.
* I am watching my gear closer and not trusting anyone.
* I am not standing by the doors to the metro trains unless I have no choice.
This is a good reason for all of us photographers (and other travelers) to use products like the Apple AirTags. These products ultimately got him most of his stuff back. I am using the Apple AirTags and also using a very cool product called the Spotminder Tracking Card. These work just like the Apple AirTags but are small, thin, and look like a credit card. I use these in my wallet and have them slipped in between the lining of my ThinkTank bags where almost nobody would find them. They are also rechargeable, using the same wireless charger as my iPhone, which is really cool. One charge and they last for 6 months.
Either way, this is a good reminder to be careful when you are traveling, especially with expensive gear!
Please excuse any typos. Normally I try to proofread everything before I post, but here at the Olympics, time is a commodity. I definitely miss some things. :)
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Jeff, sorry to read about the hear issues and hotel matters. I did a cruise a few months back and all info recommend a cross body under the coat bag, due to the pick pocketers in Rome and other areas. Glad the guy got most of his gear back and be safe for sure!!
ReplyDeleteOmg scary ;( 😱 I’m glad he got it back.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear your friend was able to get most of his belongings back. I am traveling to Italy soon and debating on taking my best gear. I don’t want to have to worry if it gets lost or stolen.
ReplyDeleteYikes. I got my pocket picked in Rome last year. No more credit cards and only $30 until my son sent money by Western Union
ReplyDeleteYikes, what a horrible experience! Glad he recovered most of his gear. Were there any arrests, especially the hotel staff?
ReplyDeleteA friend in a group of photographers had his gear stolen out of his bag on the train. We weren’t sure how it happened but his bag was in the rack above his head the entire time. He didn’t realize the theft until we arrived at our destination.
Some tips: 1) Don’t put anything valuable in any pockets in your pack that’s accessible from the outside. They pickpocket in groups even while you’re out walking in public. Twice I’ve discovered by backpack zipper unzipped. I didn’t have anything of value. Fortunately the compartment containing my gear is on the inside against my back. 2) Don't ever lay your phone down on the table while you’re dining. Think about attaching it to a lanyard if possible. 3) keep your hand over any zippers on shoulder bags/slings/fanny packs if possible. I’ve used twist ties to secure zippers as a deterrent.
I hope this doesn’t spoil your experience there. Stay safe, and keep up the great work!
Many years ago someone told me about these 'travel safes' that were originally targeted more for backpackers - one lives in my suitcase and while it won't fit everything or a lot of cameras or lenses, it's big enough to hold my backup drives, laptop, iPad, etc...not going to stop someone with cable cutters or anything but will at least slow them down or deter them....
ReplyDeleteI.e....
https://pacsafe.com/products/travelsafe-x15-anti-theft-portable-safe
What a story Jeff!! Thankfully he got is gear back! I ordered Spotminders right away, thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteSince Rio 2016, I always lock my equipment in the room to the furniture using a bike lock (and using AirTags). I also always carry my accreditation, phone, and ID card (no need for a passport as an EU citizen) with me, even when going to breakfast. Maybe I should also lock my clothing bag?
ReplyDeleteThat's truly a nightmare scenario! Talk about breech of trust! Here are a few items I use and swear by - this first one is an Air Tag holder that attaches to fabric. I have one in my Think Tank bag and it is very discrete: https://amzn.to/46ia8MG
ReplyDeleteThis one is much more rugged and on my Pelican case looks OEM and again, very discrete: https://amzn.to/4anOhpv
Lastly, these little gizmos are fantastic and again, very discrete. While they won't stop a 'slasher' they will work well for pickpockets: https://amzn.to/4tIBGor
Stay safe out there!
Wow! I'm glad your friend got almost everything back. I can understand the stress he must have been under and probably would have gone home too! I have probably been to trusting at hotels and will consider keeping things more incognito. Loving your photos from Olympics!
ReplyDelete