Here is a good true one. I got off the train in Rome, Italy, when I saw about 8 kids starting to run to me. I had my backpack (large) on, with hiking boots. I said out loud, in Italian, "Fermarsi! (stop!). A small kid, I assumed was the leader, stopped, and asked me why? I said, "Ladro! (thief)," as I gave him the international signal of pickpocketing, hand outstretched, as in a hand shake, then pulling it in with a twist. The kid smiled, laughed, gave me the Italian salute (arm going up, with left arm interceding), yelled to his friends, "Correre! (run!)." They were going to surround me, and stick their hands everywhere, knock me down, and run with what they could find. With a big backpack, hard to get up and give chase, unless you unbuckle, and then someone gets your pack. I just shook my head. I reported this to a police officer, who simply said, "Welcome to Rome," in Italian, with a smile.

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