A timely warning for travellers transiting through airports

I love my watch. Losing it would be the worst thing ever. Plus my son managed to lose a watch when he took his off for the security check at the airport and forgot to put it back on. (Teenagers, right?)

Which is why I now take my watch off while I’m in the line to get through the boarding gates and put it safely into my bag.

A month ago, I was at OR Tambo International Airport at about 5pm (rush hour of note) when I caught a glimpse of something shiny as the security officer scooped up the empty airport security tray just ahead of mine. (I’m pretty sure the security officer had also seen the watch.)

So, as she was lifting it up, I pulled it back down and snapped up the gold watch inside it, while also shouting at the (blissfully unaware) woman walking away, “Excuse me, excuse me!” As my sons will tell you, my lungs are pretty powerful for someone with asthma.

I ran up to her, returned the watch and then went back to get my own things.

It did make me wonder, though, just how many people forget their expensive watches at airport security.

As it turns out, Ami Underwriting Managers says a traveller narrowly avoided losing a luxury watch after allegedly being targeted during screening, just weeks after a previous Rolex theft at a South African airport. (I checked the dates – neither was the same incident I witnessed.)

Christelle Colman, CEO and founder of Ami Underwriting Managers, says that on 28 May at one of South Africa’s major international airports, a client almost had her Rolex stolen during a security screening procedure. And this was not the first time.

In April, the client was robbed of her previous Rolex by a woman passenger standing behind her. The watch was snatched after she placed it in a tray during the security screening process. Thanks to camera footage, the theft was recorded and the suspect was arrested on her return to South Africa.

Colman says that in the more recent incident, the client was instructed to remove her watch and shoes at the checkpoint.

While her belongings were in separate trays, security personnel allegedly tried to distract her by asking her to turn around for an additional search while simultaneously requesting access to her bags.

According to information shared by the South African Police Service (SAPS) on its Facebook platform, thefts involving luxury watches at domestic airports are often linked to organised criminal syndicates rather than direct seizure or theft by customs officials.

Here’s how you can protect your valuables, as per SAPS recommendations:

Register valuable items with the South African Revenue Service before international travel so that you can prove ownership if they are stolen.

Do not openly display luxury watches in public airport areas.

Never pack expensive watches or jewellery into checked luggage.

Keep valuables in hand luggage and within sight at all times.

Remain vigilant after leaving the airport and be alert to possible surveillance or vehicles following you.

If you suspect you are being followed, drive to the nearest police station or busy public area.

Colman adds that if you want to put in an insurance claim, most insurers will require original purchase documentation or professional valuations; photographs and serial numbers; a police case number; and proof that the watch was specified separately on a policy, where applicable. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.