Question from a reader: staying safe in South America

A friend and reader I’ll call T.D. writes in:

I’ve read some almost unbelievable stories on those Quito and Cuenca FB groups regarding what seems to be rampant petty crime, and more. You’re an extensive traveler and I know you’re savvy (and you’ve just been in Colombia) but they make it sound like a person is inevitably going to be robbed and possibly “express” kidnapped at some point.

For background, we livedin Colombia for six months (July 2015-January 2016), and traveled through Ecuador (J...