Every year, Jennifer Reed, a resident of Aurora, Ill., and her friends start their holiday shopping the week before Thanksgiving with a trip to the stretch of stores on State Street. But this year’s outing had a sour ending when Reed was at Macy’s on Nov. 22 and discovered her wallet went missing.

Reed started to panic. Her friend told her to retrace her steps. Reed remembered taking her wallet out of her purse as she got off the train to put her ticket away before putting it back in her purse.

“That’s when I remembered someone bumped into me,” Reed said. “I was getting on the escalator at Union Station, and a man walked into me. He said, ‘Excuse me,’ and then he got on the escalator in front of me—I didn’t think anything of it.”

Pickpockets see holiday shoppers as prime targets, said Dr. Sandra Tsang, a criminal psychologist who works with the Chicago Police Department as a criminal profiler. Tsang said there is always a spike in pickpocket cases during the Christmas season.

“People are more likely to be carrying cash, and thieves know that,” Tsang said. “[Pickpockets] target people in high traffic locations, like train stations and shopping malls. They look for people who are distracted and not paying attention to what’s going on around them.”

Richard Allen, a security guard at Union Station, 210 S. Canal St., said there has been a rise in pickpocket complaints in the past few weeks. He said people boarding trains and buses are prime targets because they are usually focused on something else.

“I see people talking on their phones and not paying attention to their bags,” Allen said. “It’s easy for pickpockets to bump into people and then disappear into the crowds.”

Allen said people should be extra careful when getting on and off escalators and going through revolving doors.

“I’ve had people tell me they’ve gotten caught in a rush of people and then noticed their wallet is gone,” Allen said.

Tsang said pickpockets are always on the lookout for the next opportunity. She said people can avoid being targeted by paying more attention to their surroundings and their bags.

“Pickpockets are looking for people who are looking in store windows or talking to their friends,” Tsang said. “If a person is alert and noticing the other people who are around, he or she will not be as likely to be pickpocketed.”

Tsang said women should make sure to be conscious of how they hold their purses and should carry them in front of—and close to—their bodies.

“Women should never leave their purses in carts or on counters while they are shopping,” Tsang said. “It’s also a good idea not to carry purses that don’t have zippers because it is very easy for a pickpocket to reach in without [the woman] noticing.”

Tsang said men need to be careful, too, because they are just as likely as women to be targeted by thieves.

“It’s very easy for a pickpocket to steal a man’s wallet, especially in a crowded area,” Tsang said. “Men should keep their wallets in a front pocket or the inside pocket of their coat.”

Tsang also recommends shoppers avoid wearing expensive jewelry and clothes and carrying large amounts of cash.

“Pickpockets are attracted to people wearing expensive items,” Tsang said. “They will pay less attention to casually dressed people.”

The Chicago Police Department holds a pickpocket demonstration every year in November during the holiday season to show people how pickpockets often work in pairs. Tsang said it is common for one person to distract the intended target while the second person grabs the wallet.

“The best thing people can do is use common sense,” Tsang said. “Keep your purse and your wallet close to you and be careful when you’re taking out money.”