How do pickpockets do it?
Pickpockets, they like to blend in a crowd of people, make themselves look ordinary and catch unwary people. The moment they strike is when someone is distracted, lost, searching for something. At that moment they could do anything to the victim and he wouldn’t realize it. Many people forget about pickpockets in this modern age but they still exist and make an hefty sum. If you live in a small isolated town, I doubt it would be a place home to pickpockets. But if you live a large city, where tourists are to be found in very street, that is paradise for the pickpocket.
How do they do it?
Sometimes they work alone and use their quick silent hands to snatch you of your goods. If you catch one who works alone he is probably done, cause you would probably find your goods on him. But those working in team have an advantage. They can pass your wallet (or whatever) to a runner and this person runs away from the scene to a safe place. They would probably have a good laugh about making a fool out of you in front of everyone.