What is the ‘Attenzione pickpocket!’ sound on TikTok? Where did it come from?
“Attenzione pickpocket!” It’s the phrase being shouted across TikTok, but what does it mean? And where did it come from?
According to Know Your Meme, the phrase is Italian and translates to “Attention pickpocket!” in English. It came from the TikTok account @cittadininondistratti2, which first featured a woman, presumably the person behind the account, shouting the phrase and other warnings in Italian near public transit.
The TikTok account was suspended in June 2023, and a new account was started shortly after that quickly gained even more popularity.
And after the first video on @cittadininondistratti2’s account, several others featuring the woman yelling the phrase in different public settings garnered millions of views.
It’s not entirely clear if the people who appear in the videos are actual pickpocketers or not.
Some TikTok users argued she’s not identifying real pickpocketers, while others claimed she is performing a public service.
“She just randomly yells at people whether your a pickpocket or not,” commented @bingobiscuits.
“They are 100% pickpocketers. They know her and they know she was gonna call them out so they turned around before she could say anything,” countered @wannawatchthis.
Still, others declared that whether the videos are real or staged, they’re still here to watch.
“I don’t know how I ended up on Italian pickpockeTok but I’m here for it,” said @4beebee.
“Now I live for these videos on a daily basis,” admitted @that_weird_person33.
How an Italian phrase turned into a whole TikTok trend
The soundbite of the woman yelling, “attenzione pickpocket!” has now caught on as a TikTok catchphrase, inspiring a new trend of posting humorous videos of people and animals “caught” in “compromising” situations.
According to The Atlantic in 2019, pickpocketing really is on the rise in both the U.S. and other countries, largely due to people being distracted while using cell phones and other digital technology out in public.
A few TikTok commenters even offered up tips for deterring pickpocketing for travelers:
“I always walk carrying my bag in front of me no matter how much it ruins my style to secure my things,” said @cattleya.tereso.
“Yep. I never carry a backpack,” agreed @orarama.
“Pacsafe bags. They’re antitheft with locks and RFID. Highly recommend for travel,” suggested @caseycip.
“When I was in Florence and Venice I had my hand in my pocket with my wallet at all times,” added @scooter0116.
And thanks to the trend — and many people reporting seeing the videos on their feeds whether or not they had been looking for it — some TikTok users also claim they are ready if they are faced with public pickpocketing.
“I’m just waiting for a pickpocket to happen and it’s my time to shine,” noted @campchippewa.
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