Types of criminals

• Professionals. Professionals usually plan their crimes to avoid confrontation and are not usually a physical threat unless provoked. They just want to get the valuables and get out.
• Predators. Predators also want to get the valuables but they do not care if they must abuse, injure, or humiliate their victims.
• Posturers. Valuables are important to posturers, but of more importance to them is proving their courage and ability to their fellow criminals. Posturers are dangerous in that they may do things that are much more violent than the situation demands. 
• Psychos. Psychos do not have any sane motivations for their violence, so they are totally unpredictable.

Types of Muggers

• Snatch and run. The mugger who literally rips your bag/briefcase from your hand and runs away.
• Blind-side. The mugger who suddenly appears and attacks without any apparent warning.
• Defiant. The mugger who attacks without ritual or fear of the law or consequences, usually because you have walked onto his or her territory.
• Professional. The mugger who plans his or her attacks and uses deception to get inside your defenses
  

Hooker

This type of "hooker" is not a streetwalker. In the old carnival days of wrestling, a "hooker" was an experienced wrestler who was used to ensure that a match and bets were not lost on some skilled local athlete who accepted the challenge to fight the carnival's fighter. The local fighter thought he was fighting a rube, while he was actually being drawn into a fight with an expert. In the fighting world, the term "Don't hook with a hooker" is used to illustrate that a smart fighter should not be suckered into fighting "the fight" of the opponent. Do not let person draw you into a fight that you are destined to lose because you will be out numbered or out skilled.

Avoiding Criminals

Awareness is the best way to avoid the first three types of muggers, but a thorough understanding of attack ritual is the only real way of avoiding the fourth. Most muggings are not random acts; there is usually a ritual that precedes attack. The attacker selects his or her victim, usually someone that is daydreaming or isolated. Often the victim will be stalked for a time before the attack. Many professional muggers approach their victims before attack and ask a distracting/disarming question such as "Have you got the time?" or "I’m lost, can you give me directions?" This is done to engage your brain before the attack. Once you are engaged, the mugger goes to work.

Many muggers prefer to threaten attack to scare you without having to resort to physical violence, frequently backing the threat with a weapon or an accomplice, or both. They often employ the "false promise," threatening not to hurt you if you are compliant. Do not believe them, muggers lie. Of course, some muggers attack first; it is easier to riffle you pockets while you are unconscious or dead.