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@Nomad Mundo the police in Rio deal

with some of the most horrendous crimes imaginable. The fact you merely has your card stolen was nothing for them.  Count your blessings that nothing bad happened to you. Learn from your experience and move on.

@KenAquarius I don't know what was the motivation/mindset of this reply of yours, However, a sense of empathy and humanity doesn't have any relationship with dealing or not with most heinous crimes whatsoever. What you have had felt and did in this situation?. Sensible codependency is a very rare nowadays.

I have no motivation other than to warn you about how things are there. It’s just the truth.

@Nomad Mundo The first thing you should do if your credit or debit card is either lost or stolen is to contact the issuer so it can be cancelled.  That will save you from having to deal with fraudulent charges,  plus will cause the card to be immediately confiscated if it is presented to  a merchant.   I wouldn't have taken the time to report it to the police, because in reality what are they going to do about it, especially in a city such as Rio.  That said, IMO, it's never appropriate to blame the victim.  It takes the same amount of time to be kind and understanding as it does to be rude, condescending and snarky.  As far as Rio is concerned, it is a city of stunningly natural beauty, but notoriously dangerous.  I'm in Sao Paulo, which has plenty of crime also, but my Brasilian friends here won't visit Rio because of the crime.  For me, that speaks volumes. 

For a city that prides in being a tourist destination, and a sex tourism mecca, this is a big Faus Pax from a City paid servant in law enforcement.   He /she should have his job taken away from him. Paraphrasing Canadians from Quebec, "We understand who butters our bread".

What you ought to do. ...

Complain to the US Consulate, and the Brazilian- American Chamber of Commerce. Assuming you are an American.  If you are not, resort to the consulate of your country of origin.

Then, limit your carry out money, including leaving your plastic behind.  And, if you must have plastic at all times, buy one of those pocket size metal cases to store your plastic.  A lot of these have Chips that do not require swipe to exchange funds. The metal shields RFID.   

Better yet, manage to get one of those stored value cards, to minimize your loss. 

And no belt pouches,, jewelry, cameras, branded outerwear.  Stay Spartan for Chrissakes!

And if you ever get to the local police preccint, for heavens sake, take a local chaperone the best way you can manage to find.

Also, avoid Rio like a plague. There are other sun baked destinations, if you don't mind catching that layover flight.  A few worth mentioning...

Natal - RN

Joao Pessoa - PB

Fortaleza - CE

Camboriu - SC

Ilhabela-SP ( A bus ride from Sao Paulo )

Itanhaem - SP  ( A bus ride from Sao Paulo )

Paranagua- PR

Espirito Santo's Northern Coastline

Bahia's Southern Costasline.

And yes, I know some of you want to do more than sight seeing or getting roasted by the sun. You want candy eye too, and you are salty ( and to be fair to the general public, to all  genres, so skip the mysoginist finger pointing you puritan prudes ) . I get it.  Hard to match Rio on this, but you do chase that scene you do so  at your own peril.

@mikehunter Thanks you very very much Mike for understanding my situation. Have a nice day..

@sprealestatebroker Good afternoon..I went to have a breakfast at nearby restaurant near my apartment in the morning and I don't know who took my card but it was taken inside that restaurant for sure..After that I somehow managed to visit the RIO Tourist Police Station in Leblon and this happened while interacting with that ailing employee working there. I will visit your suggested places once I'm free for sure..Thank..

@sprealestatebroker Good afternoon..I went to have a breakfast at nearby restaurant near my appointments in the morning and I don't know who took my card but it was taken inside that restaurant for sure..After that I somehow managed to visit the RIO Tourist Police Station in Leblon and this happened while interacting with that ailing employee working there. I will visit your suggested places once I'm free for sure..Thank..
-@Nomad Mundo

Stuff like that happens at alll times. As for your SOP, you done right.  Nothing else could be done. 

It's gotten more severe since the pandemic.  It will take a while for the dust to settle. 

04/05/23 A few worth mentioning...

Natal - RN
Joao Pessoa - PB
Fortaleza - CE
Camboriu - SC
Ilhabela-SP ( A bus ride from Sao Paulo )
Itanhaem - SP ( A bus ride from Sao Paulo )
Paranagua- PR
Espirito Santo's Northern Coastline
Bahia's Southern Costasline.


-@sprealestatebroker

Probably not a good time to visit Natal  - Rio Grande do Norte is experiencing a huge crime wave right now.  Substitute Aracaju - SE and you're golden. 😎

@abthree Thank you as always Muito Boa🤩☺

@sprealestatebroker/abthree... Good Morning... As per the suggestion of forum members and to request assistance, I had visited Consulate General of India in Rio de Janeiro but unfortunately, I called this lady ( let's say *TQ_Rio de Janeiro*) for authorization to visit the consulate office but despite several requests, this lady denied me visiting my country´s consulate being an Indian Citizen itself and I couldn't have done much because of my distressing, frail and vulnerable situation and with the feeling of fear and apprehension with what I had already been through and I returned anyways.

Furthermore, I sent a call recording to the Consulate General of India in Sao Paulo/Rio de Janeiro wherein the consular officer of Escritório de Representação Rio de Janeiro (ERE-RIO), was threatening to get me prosecuted, arrested and retaliation for complaining against local police-RIO. She was blaming me for everything what happened to me and deliberately disclosed confidential information without my consent and accused me of being a liar. I was on depression and tuberculosis medication & treatment and in extremely fragile and vulnerable financial and mental situation being alone in Rio de Janeiro as well as I was feeling very depressed and left out since I was all by myself in that formidable and dangerous situation because of risk to my life and safety. I requested repatriation and ensuring my safety through calls, e-mails and WhatsApp messages and online complaints, but this lady (TQ_Rio de Janeiro) deliberately kept on fooling around and negligent towards my requests/appeals despite my safety and security was at risk. Eventually, only with the blessing of God and My wife efforts, I managed to come back safely.

I'm living isolated and afraid because these people are certainly part of the same group/gang because thats why my whereabout was deliberatley disclosed to accused parties and not a single call or visit was received by me despite proactively informing them everything. I kept on sending emails, calls and messages and got nothing in return and was betrayed and fooled for trusting these disgusting and inhuman people. I'm thinking for requesting asylum or assistance to some safe country near brazil because I don't want to be killed as James & other activist who were either killed or disappeared. Please suggest me what to do because I'm concerned for me and my wife safety and survival.

@ Nomad Mundo. You sound very distressed and I am sorry you are going through such a hard time.  From your previous message it seems like you are an Indian Citizen.  Have you considered going back to India where you hopefully have more support and will have more peace of mind? 

Wow

05/05/23 @Nomad Mundo  If you are being treated for tuberculosis (TB), then I would suggest that your main concern needs to be to remain tranquil, avoid disputes with other people, and complete your treatment without interruption.  Brazil largely eliminated TB during the 1970s, so the TB strains that still exist in the country are mainly strains that are resistant to the traditional medications. If you miss treatments, your strain may become resistant to your current meds as well, and may even become untreatable.  You do not want that to happen, or to develop an active, contagious case.  Understand that depression is common among people being treated for TB; as your condition improves, the depression may begin to dissipate, as well.

Have you registered with the Consulate General in São Paulo yet?  This seems like a good way to remain visible when you need services; see this page:

The Embassy of India in Brasília manages assistance to Indian nationals in distress through this area of its site:

It's highly unlikely that the Indian Foreign Ministry is maintaining a "gang" in Brazil, or that they plan to persecute you.  Their main purpose here is to advance India-Brazil relations.  Their secondary purpose is to assist Indian citizens in need, but as with all bureaucracies, it has to be done their way.

The Government of India only maintains an Honorary Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, not a professional representative.  Any but the most routine consular services probably have to be handled at the Consulate General in São Paulo.  it sounds like the person you were arguing with was the Honorary Consul's secretary, who was in no position to help.

So far, you've had fights with the Rio Tourist Police, with Honorary Consul's office, and with the Indian Consulate General in São Paulo.  You really need to think of a new way to work with people in positions of authority, because your current approach is not doing you any good.  As you recover and start feeling better, that's something to think about.   

But recovery first.  Best of luck with that.

As MikeHunter mentioned."The first thing you should do if your credit or debit card is either lost or stolen is to contact the issuer so it can be cancelled.  That will save you from having to deal with fraudulent charges,  plus will cause the card to be immediately confiscated if it is presented to  a merchant."

• This is good, but I found an easy way lately. We logged into our bank account online, and at the top of page was a button to click to turn off and on. It feeezes your credit/ debit are right away. This is especially helpful if someone cant find their card and wants to continue looking for it. You can also unfreeze it to buy stuff online, then re freeze it when done if needing to  buy something important like a hotel res or plane ticket before totally canceling it and waiting for a new one to arrive.

Just a tip for everyone.

Droplover/abthree/ExpatUSATravels... Thank you all so much for understanding my situation. Your advice and suggestions means a lot to me right now.. I experienced depression after interactions/visits with the PF office for my PR documentation back in June/July of 2020 and on medication since then for it.. I started having TB symptoms in late 2022 and was feeling more stressed and depressed while in RIO and going through all of this... I'm mostly avoiding confrontations/arguments as per your suggestion these days but it's just too rigid and frustrating at times.. My wife has already canceled the card and the card operator wants me to go to India with all the documentation translated and apostilled to process the new card, which is very expensive for now. So I'm thinking of letting it remain cancelled.

@Nomad Mundo

you are not alone.

I was insulted by a clerk at the PF.

I was surprised at their attitude.

I guess some people think that if they are given a job that serves the public that they can say or do what they want to people.

Never ever did I see such an abuse of a job in brasil such as this.

Unfortunately it does happen once in a great while.

Was also treated bad by TIM celular reps.

I think it is time for brasil to learn manners again, as they seemed to forget them.

Hello everyone,

Please note that I am closing this thread upon request of the initiator.

Thank you all for your comments on the topic.

All the best

Bhavna

[Topic Closed]