Just got back from Paris in June, and Gar du Nord is definitely rife with pickpocketers, but they are actually really easy to spot if you know what to look for.

Just got back from Paris in June, and Gar du Nord is definitely rife with pickpocketers, but they are actually really easy to spot if you know what to look for. They were casing my wife and I every time we went there for a train. Right now, the big thing is to send in kids with a piece of paper, asking you to sign it and give them a donation. The kids sometimes pretend to be deaf, and they basically demand a minimum donation of 8 euros. Their piece of paper is all crumpled and filthy, but the kids usually look like normal European 8-year-old girls, often blond and cleanly dressed. However, somewhere behind these girls, probably 20 to 30 feet away, will be a handler. The few we saw were always old women who looked like Eastern European grandmothers, and were probably the "Roma" everyone likes to call out. This handler floats behind the kids and watches where phones and wallets go when they're placed back in pockets. She then drifts by if you engage the kids. The kids are the distraction, she's the pickpocket. Frankly, though, if you pay any attention at all to the areas around you at Gare du Nord, or anywhere else in Europe, it's very easy to see this stuff going down and be safe. We were warned a dozen times about theft in Europe before our lengthy trip, but really, you just have to behave as you would in Manhattan or in San Francisco. Frankly, you can lose your phone just as quickly in the Mission if you're on a busy bus and not paying attention.