In reply to a question a few posts back: I think the thread is about "Women's" self-defence because it is a spin-off from another thread which had digressed on to that specific topic.

Another point. It is really important for (relatively) older women (preferably) to tell younger women about this stuff, especially about avoiding dangerous situations, being alert, paying attention to your intuition, not allowing yourself to be manipulated, etc. There are many young people out there with (by definition) limited life experience who do not read books or magazines, nor watch or listen to anything useful on TV, the net, etc. They need to be told things that a lot of other people, like those of us here, just pick up. Tell them - you may save a life or two.

Last point (for now). A favourite trick of someone who is trying to con you into something - by "helping" him out, letting him use your phone, etc. - is to keep talking to you, providing lots of details that you didn't ask for. This is to keep you distracted so that you are unable to think clearly about what is going on, and you are unable to hear that little voice saying, "Somethng is wrong here". I've gotten taken this way a couple of times (no grave consequences, just handed over more money than I should have, bought an appliance I didn't need ... ).