A previous post mentioned being approached and asked about their foreign currency (scam) and I want to share a different scam (https://www.reddit.com/r/istanbul_tips/comments/1t8e180/tourist_scam_same_strange_conversations_happening/)
I had 2 accounts of similar encounters of stranger couples approaching me and asking about my currencies in Istanbul and we always move away from them. Now lookout for this new (to me) scam.
I was in Istanbul near Taksim square (Sisli area) around 10 am with my wife and it was a holiday at that time, and we went to an exchange office. After exiting the office, we wanted to cross the street and there was a car parked just few meters before the crossing, no other cars were approaching. On starting to cross the street and suddenly the parked car advanced towards us and we found that we were surrounded by around 4-5 elderly females who were also trying to cross the street. The elderly females were shouting in Turkish about the advancing car, and we were immediately backing to the curb to get away from the moving car. At this time, I felt something grabbing me from behind and I thought it was my wife trying to pull me backwards and I turned sideways only to find that my wife was a few meters away from me and was also surrounded by the elderly females. I immediately threw my hand backwards to find what was touching me, but I didn't touch anything. By the time me and my wife were on the curb, and the car just went past us, I grabbed my wife's hand and crossed the street in a rush to get away from the scene.
I was wearing a t-shirt, and I found that the back of my t-shirt was pulled up. My wallet was in my buttoned back pocket, and I found that the pocket was unbuttoned but the wallet was still there. I looked across the street and there were no more elderly ladies and the car moved away.
Then I understood what just happened to us. We were about to get pick pocketed by the ladies in the rush to get backwards from the moving car but as someone was pick pocketing me my foot just touched the curb and as I was about to fall backwards I felt as if something was touching me from behind that I thought it was my wife pulling me to get on the curb. The car and the ladies were acting together. Afterwards I always keep my wallet in my front pocket and in case of a crowd I slip my hand inside my front pocket also.