@themax is new to Steemit and headed to live in Panama later this year.
I just met her today while on expatexchange, and she told me about "the ordeal" as her and her husband call it. They had just left a casino in Panama City on January 31st, 2017, and a taxi had picked them up. The driver had another man in the car but said the other guy was getting out soon.
Once Maxine and her husband were in the car however, the other man pulled out a large hunting knife and robbed them. They were thankfully released unharmed after a short ride. The next day they spent discussing the event with a lawyer and the police. Because of how quickly things happened though, they could not remember very many details.
She learned a valuable tip as a result of the bad experience that she shared with me today.
She suggested people stop for a second before getting into a taxi to take pictures of it. Include the license plate, the taxi number, and the company logo. Then take a picture of the driver and any passengers. Let them know what you're doing too. If it is a legitimate taxi, they will have no problem with it. It only takes a few seconds to do and is a very good personal security tip.
In addition to following her advice, I also recommend people use the smart phone application Cell 411. It allows you to send live video instantly to only a trusted network of friends and family or to the public and anyone near you. When Maxine was being robbed for example, she could have activated an alert to document the incident with video and also summon help.
