Italian Man Praises Taiwan's Safety After Witnessing Valuables Left Unattended in Cafe

An Italian man living in Taiwan shared his astonishment on social media after witnessing a woman leave valuable items unattended at a cafe, highlighting Taiwan's exceptional safety.

In recent years, many foreign tourists visiting Taiwan have been deeply impressed by the country's good public safety record. An Italian man recently shared his experience, witnessing a Taiwanese person leave valuable items like an LV wallet on a cafe seat before walking away. Remarkably, no one attempted to steal the items for a full five minutes. He found this unbelievable, stating that the same action in Europe would immediately result in the items disappearing. The post quickly sparked heated discussions among Taiwanese and international netizens.

The Italian netizen, "Gianluca Marraffa," who currently resides in Taiwan, posted on the social platform Threads on the afternoon of the 23rd, expressing the "exaggerated sense of security" he feels living in an Asian country, especially Taiwan. The original poster also shared an incident where he saw a woman at a cafe go to the restroom and, before leaving her seat, place her phone, LV wallet, and an open bag on the table. This scene deeply shocked him.

The poster revealed that the woman was gone for about five minutes. During this time, people around did not seem to notice anything unusual, nor did anyone step forward to take advantage of the situation. He stated that if the same action were taken in any European country, the items on the table would likely "disappear within 15 seconds."

Upon posting, the article attracted over 770,000 views and drew in many foreign netizens who had visited Taiwan. They shared similar sentiments, pointing out that while Taiwanese people may seem casual, they often discreetly keep an eye out for others, which is very thoughtful.

Other netizens shared similar experiences: "I was at a MRT station once, and a girl was charging her phone at a charging station. She asked me to watch her phone while she went to the bathroom. I really did watch it for her." "Once in a waiting lounge, I was lying on a recliner, and the guy next to me suddenly went to the restroom without saying a word. He left his phone, passport, and ticket all on his seat. I was more nervous than he was. I quietly watched until he returned." "Last time, our Spanish friends forgot their passports and wallets, only picked up their binoculars to look for birds, and then drove to their hotel in Taipei to sleep. They only remembered they had lost their wallets and passports the next morning. The items were left at the airport for 9 hours, and no one touched them."

Some Taiwanese netizens also cautioned the original poster, reminding him that although Taiwan's public safety is much better compared to Europe and the US, it also means that most Taiwanese people are too complacent and lack vigilance and basic protective instincts. Many also expressed concern that in recent years, foreign pickpockets have been targeting this habit of Taiwanese people, increasingly flocking to popular tourist spots and public places in Taiwan to commit thefts. They hoped that such behaviors would no longer be shared to promote Taiwan's public safety.

Additionally, some victims of theft mentioned that items like umbrellas, helmets, fried chicken, scooter cleaning cloths, and lunches hung on scooters are more likely to be stolen in Taiwan.

Related news can be found at:

Chinese pickpocket apprehended and released on bail, then collected intelligence to supply accomplices abroad

International pickpocketing group targets Jiufen Old Street; police ambush and arrest 3 Filipino pickpockets

To prevent pickpockets from targeting foreign tourists at Shilin Night Market, Shilin police conduct strong publicity campaigns

"Pickpockets rampant" in Jiufen? Mongolian couple arrested, sentenced to 3 months, and deported after execution

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