Watch a thief stealing $13k from an airport security tray. / @Poliziadistato
A shameless airport thief has been caught on camera stealing over $13,000 in cash from another traveller.
One of Italy's national police forces, the Polizia di Stato, released CCTV footage on Twitter, which was captured at Rome's Fiumicino Airport.
The footage shows a man in a striped t-shirt placing two envelopes containing 8000 euros ($13,386) in an airport security tray and waiting to pass through the x-ray machine.
Aeroporto Fiumicino in fila per controlli sicurezza un passeggero ruba buste con dentro denaro,le nasconde in bagno per riprenderle al ritorno, ma viene arrestato da #PoliziaFrontiera mentre sale in aereo I soldi restituiti al proprietario servivano per cure mediche di un parente pic.twitter.com/0zQGWOUHEz
As the travellers' belongings emerge on the other side, the man in the white shirt quickly grabs the envelopes of money before picking up his own items and disappearing into the airport.
The owner of the cash then comes through the x-ray machine and begins frantically searching for his missing money.
According to the Polizia di Stato, the cunning thief hid the cash in an airport bathroom to collect later – but was arrested as he was about to board a flight to Russia.
The money, which was reportedly to be used for the medical treatment of a relative, was returned to its rightful owner.
The man was caught on CCTV stealing over $13,000 in cash at an airport security checkpoint at Rome's Fiumicino Airport. Photo / Twitter
Earlier this year, the Daily Mail reported on several cases of theft at airport security checkpoints.
A security guard at one of London's major airports told the newspaper that some thieves went as far as to book seats on cheap flights just to get access to security areas.
"They tend to be middle-aged men who work in groups. They prey on passengers in the early morning, when people are half-asleep, or at peak times when they're stressed, and target families who are likely to be distracted by children,' he said.
In one case, a woman had her $1800 laptop stolen at London City airport before flying to the Netherlands.
And it seems even your plastic-bagged toileteries aren't safe: another traveller had over $500 worth of cosmetics stolen.
However, there are some ways to protect yourself from airport theft.
• Consolidate your items: Before heading through a checkpoint, make sure all valuables are kept inside your luggage - preferably tucked away in inner pockets.
• Don't walk through before your bags: Every moment you leave your bags unattended presents opportunities for thieves. Wait until your items have entered the x-ray machine and then keep a close eye as you wait on the other side.
• Check everything when you collect: Once you collect your items, do a quick check to make sure everything is accounted for. It helps to write an inventory of your items beforehand.
• Immediately notify authorities of any thefts: If anything is missing, notify airport security and police immediately. This gives them a better chance of tracking down the thief and recovering your items before they fly away.
