Lessons learned after having a purse stolen; how to carry and where

Thieves are waiting for any opportunity to steal, so why make it easy? What type of purse, where it's carried on the body, or where It's placed while dining can make a difference when it comes to thievery.

As KCAL News reporter Kristine Lazar was working on assignment recently, she had her own encounter with a purse thief, and decided to share what happened and get tips for what she could have done differently.

Theft prevention expert, Kevin Coffey, warns that thieves are watching, more than we think.

"People don't realize there are people that wake up in the morning who think, who am I going to rip off today," Coffey said.

A couple of weeks ago while working, Lazar placed her red crossbody purse on the ground next to her feet at an outdoor café table. She got up from the table for a moment, and that's when the crime of opportunity happened, someone snatched it.

Talking to Coffey, a former Los Angeles Police Department veteran turned travel skills trainer and theft prevention expert, Lazar got a wealth of tips for women and men on where to carry their purses and wallets and what to be aware of when walking on sidewalks and around groups of people.

For women, Coffey explained not to let purses hang behind, on the backside. He advised to keep purses in the front, in eyesight. The same goes for wallets, front pant pockets are more secure than back pockets.

"You need to know that crooks call the back pocket the sucker pocket for a reason because it's very easy to get it (wallet) out of the back pocket, especially if men are wearing loose clothing," Coffey said.

A pick-pocket's delight would be a wallet and a phone in each back pocket, Coffey said.

The worst place to put a purse while dining out is on the back of a chair. Instead, Coffey advised to keep it in the lap or at the feet.

Another easy target is a large open tote bag. Coffey recommends purses that zip, but if the open tote is the only option, he said to cover valuables with other items and consider putting a tracking device like an air tag in the purse or wallet.

When walking on a sidewalk, Coffey warned of carrying a purse or bag streetside. "Again, the vulnerability, it's close to the street," Coffey said.

His purse of preference is the fanny pack, it's less likely to be forgotten somewhere and it sits on the body always, making it hard for thieves to get to.

In the unfortunate scenario that a wallet or purse is stolen, Coffey says time is of essence and to call credit card companies immediately, because thieves will often start racking up charges in minutes.

He also advises to carry only a couple of credit cards, and never carry a social security card or any personal information.

"You would be surprised how many people have passwords to their phones or credit card in their wallet. I call it sanitizing your wallet," Coffey said. 

Lazar said she did ultimately get her purse back, and she has sanitized her wallet.