Criminal Activity Against Unsuspecting Tourists Increasing Worldwide : Crime: Spain and Jamaica are particular problem areas right now for travelers. Best advice is to check advisories and leave unnecessary valuables at home.

The two leather bags were locked out of sight in the trunk of the rental car, which was parked just outside the hotel in the Mediterranean beach resort of Valencia. Nonetheless, the bags were stolen, reports a Washington colleague who returned recently from a vacation in Spain. Add her to the long list of Americans who have become victims of petty crime abroad.

Unfortunately, tourists are the special prey of pickpockets, purse snatchers, muggers and other hit-and-run thieves around the world because they are apt to be carrying large amounts of cash, traveler’s checks, expensive cameras and other valuables. Easily identified rental cars are prime targets, too, and skilled thieves in some destinations apparently are not daunted by locks.

In recent years, travelers returning from abroad have reported a variety of unusual assaults in Europe and elsewhere:

--Innocent-looking youngsters may suddenly surround a tourist on a busy city street. In a matter of seconds, the group can pluck every pocket of valuables and flee.

--Thieves on scooters sometimes zip past unwary sightseers, snatching unprotected purses and cameras.

--Cars stalled in traffic or stopped at signal lights can be targets. Thieves reach through an open window and grab a watch from your wrist or a purse or camera from the seat. They may even shatter the window to get at these valuables.

“Crime against travelers is a growing problem worldwide,” said the U.S. State Department in a travel advisory issued just before the summer vacation season got under way.

My colleague admits she was foolish to leave luggage overnight in her car. The manager of her hotel had warned her against it, as had two guidebooks on Spain she was using. She had even picked up a leaflet published by the Spanish Interior Ministry advising foreign motorists to “maintain the same security measures as in your country.” But she was on vacation, and she relaxed her normal protective instincts.

While petty crime is possible anywhere, and has in the last few years become a particular problem in cities worldwide, Spain and the Caribbean island of Jamaica are two popular destinations that are currently in the spotlight. Next year, Spain will play host to hordes of visitors attending the world’s fair, Expo ‘92, in Seville and the Summer Olympics in Barcelona--both cities where crime has been a noticeable problem.

Jamaica was the subject of a State Department travel notice Aug. 14 cautioning Americans about crime in Kingston, the capital. (A travel notice is the mildest form of travel advisory. Travel cautions and warnings are issued for more serious threats to health and safety.)

Authorities representing both countries say the welfare of foreign visitors is a matter they take seriously and that security and protective measures have been enhanced. When the Jamaica notice was issued, “We were shocked,” says Robert Stephens, the island’s director of tourism. “We are not treating it lightly.”

Since 1978, the State Department has been issuing travel advisories informing Americans of crime and other travel dangers abroad. Recently, the advisories themselves became the target of criticism in a General Accounting Office report. The GAO faulted the advisories for being inconsistent and misleading.

“The lives of Americans have been endangered because the State Department has failed to disseminate to U.S. travelers information in its possession on violent crimes in various parts of the world,” charged Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), who released the report as chairman of the House Government Operations Committee.

The report cited the case of Mexico, where it was found that 139 Americans were victims of violent crimes between June, 1989, and February, 1991. These included 39 murders or attempted murders, 29 rapes or attempted rapes, three kidnapings and 68 assaults and armed robberies. Despite these statistics, no crime advisory was issued.

No city or country with any semblance of civil liberties can provide foreign visitors absolute protection against crime. So travelers must watch out for themselves. Among the ways to reduce the possibility of becoming a victim abroad, as outlined by the State Department and other tourist industry sources:

--Be informed: Ask your travel agency about travel advisories concerning your destination, or call the State Department’s Citizens Emergency Center in Washington at (202) 647-5225. Consult guidebooks, and ask at your hotel about any street dangers.

--Don’t take unnecessary valuables abroad: Leave the expensive jewelry at home, and carry traveler’s checks and credit cards rather than cash. You may even want to substitute a modest camera for a fancier one. Cameras can easily identify you as a tourist to pickpockets and other thieves in the vicinity.

--Don’t pack your finest fashions: Unless you are invited to tea with the Queen of England, leave the expensive stuff at home and tote older, worn items. If they are stolen, the loss is minimal. If possible, try to blend in. One guidebook to Spain points out that wearing sneakers marks you immediately as an American tourist. The same is true for baseball-style caps.

--Protect your valuables on your person: I carry my passport, traveler’s checks and credit cards in a neck pouch well-hidden beneath my shirt, and small amounts of cash in a front pocket. So far, in travels to about 80 countries, I’ve never lost anything. Leg and shoulder pouches and money belts also are sold at travel accessory stores.

Women should think seriously about alternatives to carrying a purse, an obvious temptation to thieves, whether you are carrying it or it is sitting beside you in a restaurant, public bus or rental car. Some women have suffered a broken arm when their purse was snatched, says the State Department.

Avoid those popular waist pouches, hung on the outside of your clothing, which can be easily cut or ripped off. “Wearing them on the outside highlights where you keep all your valuables,” says the State Department.

--Use common sense: Be alert to pickpockets in crowded areas where tourists congregate, such as airline, bus and train terminals; public buses and trams; American-style fast-food restaurants, street concerts and major sightseeing attractions. Don’t take valuables to the beach. Avoid dark streets and narrow alleys as you would in any big U.S. city. Do not stop when approached on the street by strangers, especially street vendors and beggars. Find out which parts of a city are considered risky.

--Use caution on the road: Keep car doors locked, purses and cameras out of sight and luggage hidden in the trunk. Take all items to your hotel room at night, and consider parking your car in a secure lot; ask at your hotel for convenient locations. Try to park in a guarded lot when stopping for lunch or to sightsee along the road. If your car is disabled, wait for help from the police.