1. When making an on-the-street purchase or using an ATM, be aware that someone may be watching to see where you replace your wallet or coin purse.

2. Bear in mind that a 500 crown note is considered large in most ordinary situations. Larger notes mark you as a rich foreigner. Therefore, if you request large sums from an ATM machine and are given 2000 crown notes, go into the bank and exchange these for smaller notes.

3. Do not have a cell phone (mobil phone) visible. The high-end models in particular are target items.

4. A camera bag or camera around your neck, especially an expensive one, is the equivalent of a flashing neon sign. Use a non-descript old bag and hide your camera when you are not using it.

5. Be ready to alert your friend or partner. Always be aware of what is happening to the other person. If one or two people step between you in a crowded place, it may be a setup. If one of you is being surrounded, possibly in a Metro car, move quickly and decisively, while alerting your friend with a code word you have agreed on.

6. If you have packages to carry and one person gets a seat on the tram or metro, have that person hold the packages.

7. If you are staying in a hostel or very cheap hotel, do not leave credit cards, wallet, or documents in your suitcase or backpack, even when you are asleep in the same room at night.

8. If you are in one of the better hotels, use the safe provided in your room.

9. If you otherwise blend in with the locals in appearance, avoid speaking English or other foreign languages audibly, especially when waiting for a tram.

10. Be aware that the local name for Tram 22 is "The Pickpocket Express."

There are many scams or "tricks" which Prague locals have learned about from their own or friends' experiences with thieves. To help you recognize and avoid them, we pass these on to you:

• "The Squeeze" or "Sandwich":
  This is a centuries-old classic. Be hyper-alert in any kind of crowd of people. One variant is to create a crush by having one or two accomplices casually stand in the tram door to block it, while the pickpocket pushes you from behind while picking your pocket, your irritation distracting you from the real action. This scam is also a favorite in the Metro, in front of the Astronomical Clock, and in festive crowds.

• "The Cargo Pocket Ambush":
  Hedgie witnessed the tail end of this incident. A Spanish-speaking tourist helping his elderly parents aboard a tram had his cash taken from the cargo pocket of his pants. A team of young men created enough distractions so that he was not aware until they had money in hand and were jumping off the tram.

• "The Jacket or Purse Plucking":
  You hang your jacket or purse on your chair in a restaurant. The thief selects a chair at a neighboring table and reaches back to pick your jacket pocket or plucks your purse as he or she gets up to leave. The thief usually leaves without ordering. This is also used with coats hung on coatracks.(Hedgie's friend was saved by an alert Czech waitress who gave him a warning note to move his jacket off his chair. When he did so, the oddly out-of-place customers behind him left immediately.)

• "The Raincoat Ripoff":
  You are a man with your wallet in your back pants pocket, feeling secure because you are wearing your raincoat over it. Beware! Thieves are known to find their way in through the back slit in your raincoat.

• "The Supermarket Snatch":
  Shopping in a local supermarket, you have your purse in the top of your cart or on the checkout counter while you bag your groceries. The thief, sometimes a well-trained child, snatches the entire purse while you are distracted. A variation of this has been known to happen even in quiet, elegant, expensive restaurants.

• "You Changed Money Accusation"
  You are offered a "money exchange" on the street and, of course, you refuse. Czech currency is freely exchangable and there is no "black market" advantage. A few minutes later a "police officer" will stop you and demand inspection of your wallet to make sure you have not exchanged money "illegally." No real police officer ever will do that. Ask to be taken to a uniformed officer or police station; never consent to be "searched" on the street.