i dont mean to be judgmental but there were about 4 guys who looked suspicious and one of them tried to distract me. i was thinking to myself that these could be those guys that the airport authorities are warning passengers about.
so it was around 3am and i was getting tired. i was still enjoying the free wifi connection in the airport that i tried as much as i can to stay awake. i was seated next to my mom but a steel barrier (the arm of the bench) separated us. our luggage were on the floor, i got my shoulder bag on my lap. my mom has laid on the bench with her bag on her side and one arm over it. i was getting sleepy, id occasionally close my eyes for a few moments before going back to my phone and doing whatever on the internet. when i looked to my side, my mom had fallen in deep sleep and was no longer holding her bag. i thought to myself, this is an easy target for thieves. anyone could just grab the bag and walk away and my mom wouldnt know about it. therefore, i had to keep my eyes open. i wanted to put her arm back around her bag but thought that it might wake her up. i was so tired that i closed my eyes again for about 2 minutes and opened them again slightly thinking about my mom's bag. she'd be so mad and sad if somebody takes it away. this would become the worst vacation ever if that happened.
then i saw 4 guys walking into the airport through my peripheral vision. one of the guys looked to where we were and stopped the other 3 and they were looking at me. i looked at one of them, who was intently looking at me and mouthed "what". he just smiled. the guys were dressed neatly, have just the right height for a man, and were not at all bad looking. the best looking of them 4 came up to where i was sitting, paced in front of me back and forth, and kept fondling with his cellphone as if he was trying to call somebody. then finally he came up to me and said, "do you have phone signal?" i said "yes. the signal's very good here. i have my roaming number". and he said, "i dont have signal". i raised my shoulders signing i dont know. then he went on with "are you from here?" i said "no, im from the philippines" then he said, "do you work here?" i said "no, my mom and i are vacationing". he kept on and i was getting suspicious. he said, "if you need anything you can call me, can i have your number?" i said, "i have no hongkong sim and i have a friend here in hongkong." he goes, "well, i can give you a job. how long are you staying here in hongkong?" i told him that we're not staying in hongkong, we go straight to macau in the morning. i didnt tell him the whole truth as he was becoming suspicious. he said, "just take my number and call me when you need anything" then i asked him, "what do you do?" he said, "i work here in the airport? see?" and he showed me his id, that he wore around his neck. i wasnt able to take a good look. then he insisted, "okay take my number" so i unlocked my phone and typed his number. then he said, "let's go to this side and talk about this in detail" he was pointing to an area where there were restaurant tables. the restaurant is way past its operating hours. i said, "no im fine i'll stay here". and he'd insisted on having a conversation in that area and i repeatedly told him that im staying where i am. my mom woke up and the guy started his exit. his 3 friends were sitting two benches behind us and looked like they were waiting for something to happen. when the guy went up to his friends, they all got up and left.
i think that these men are thieves. like i said i dont mean to be judgmental but they were just too suspicious and frankly quite a bit obvious. i think that their modus operandi is to target people who are unaware of their things and will easily take these away from them. they operate during late night hours looking for tired and sleepy travellers (especially tourists/vacationers who have just arrived, theyre just sweet targets arent they, of course theyll have at least a bit of pocket money to go around hk)who are waiting for flights or just waiting for the daylight. the most good looking of them all is set out to go and distract one companion if there's two targets, like in our case or distract a victim on her own. then he'd get into a conversation with her and convince her to get up or at least look where she cant see the other 3 guys moving in to get what they want, in this case,my mom's bag. he had told me that they are airport personnel but they werent wearing uniforms and also, after about an hour from when i was approached by one of them, i saw all of them laying on the restaurant benches. i thought maybe theyve become so tired and sad because they werent able to take somebody's valuables.
my mother has a different theory. she said, aside from thievery, they could also be involved in human trafficking. offering help and jobs to young women, and then making them work in bars or night clubs. im just glad nothing bad happened to us. the men looked like south asians.
and by the way, he told me i was beautiful..which is true after all ;) but then could be part of their stealing operation. be aware.
