Phone snatching in London

[Letitrock]

Going to London next weekend and all I’m being warned about is phone snatching being rife.

We go a couple of times a year and I’ve never been particularly worried about this but a few colleagues have said it’s quite a problem now.

Is it worse than before? I often need to get my phone out as I approach a tube station to check the route and tap through the turnstile. Also I like snapping pics etc.

Is there something I can buy to kind of attach it to my body? 😂
Insights from Londoners please!

I've not seen it happen or heard of it happening to anyone personally, but from what I've seen it's people on Ebikes at traffic lights/bus stops

I would just be wary to have my phone out at traffic lights/roadside and just be mindful again of your surroundings when your using it for photos. As you should always be really. If your worried pay on card

That could be an issue. Someone taking it may not give time to see a lanyard

This thread will make me more careful, annoying though as Citimapper is useful

Same here - just don't stand around texting so not looking at your surroundings or taking a call on the pavement and you should be ok. It's always when people are doing one of the above that a cyclist cones past and grabs a phone

My colleague was has phone stolen from his hand on the way to work 8am on Stamford street just outside of Waterloo: this is about a year ago and was told by police this was a hotspot for theft

I have a Fatface leather crossbody bag which has a decent strap and I position the bag to the front of me and it has a large internal pocket for my phone, many bags only have small internal pockets. It would be good if clothes for women had better pockets. I do tend to only get my phone out in shops now, even when I was in Norwich there were a few dodgy looking characters in balaclavas on bikes and scooters.

That looks good, it seems to have some kind of attachment to it?

I'm a Londoner - safety 101 for years now - don't wander the streets with your phone out. I keep mine in a zipped cross body bag.

Phone snatchers hang outside tube stations as everyone gets their phone out to check messages as soon as they are above ground - rich pickings!

Don't use your mobile to pay on the tube - everyone hates people who do that as it always seems to take longer. Use your bank card or get an Oyster.

Tube stations all have physical maps of the local area on the walls in the ticket hall and in many places the main streets have those "legible London" finger posts with physical msps on them.

This "epidemic" is not that new; I remember adverts warning about it in the early 00s. There was a radio advert with the voice of the phone itself, and the voice of the thief, saying "sometimes, I even get a choice of phones to nick". These adverts also used to warn about having cash in your hand when coming out of a shop. It's more of a threat now because of the thieves on silent bikes and scooters.

Keep your phone away most of the time. When I use mine, what I do is stand with my back to a wall, so that I can see everything, and nobody can sneak up behind me.

And as I've said on another thread about this, I resist using my phone for things such as Oyster, money and so on. I stick to the actual cards, and intend to keep doing so for as long as we have them.

The reason they want your phone from your hand - your phone is unlocked, so they can then reset it within seconds to there security. Once that is done they have access to all your data on your phone.

use a debit card for the tube payment instead of an unlocked phone
use a paper map for directions - print of before you go. Or take an old phone with cheap SIM card Luca or lebara are both around £5 with data

its not your phone they want but an unlocked phone with data

Apparently they’re cutting the lanyards now? Not sure I believe this as surely they’d have to stop to do this and their whole MO seems to be a ride by snatch.

Cross body bags are your friend in London. Don’t put it in your coat pocket, and a lanyard is of limited usefulness. Also, if you have an Apple Watch, use it! I rarely take my phone out - you can use your watch to tap out very quickly on the Tube using Express Transit setting which lets you pay very quickly for certain things, and I check messages/change Spotify etc from my watch.

A friend recently had her phone snatched whilst sitting in the tube at South Kensington station - he grabbed the phone and dashed as the doors beeped to shut - so you’re not even safe on the tube now.

Agree that this is not a new epidemic - my friend’s phone got stolen by a guy on a bike in 2012, it’s more of an issue today though as so much of our banking info is held on our phones.

I would be worried about lanyards though as you could get quite seriously hurt if they tried to lift your phone while you were wearing a lanyard?

I’ve recently resurrected an old iPhone (with a cheap SIM) that I use for internet browsing, Spotify downloads, and Citymapper/google maps. I use that out and about in public!

Have lived in London most of my life, as have most of my friends and family. Hasn’t happened to any of us. Obviously it does happen, but I think it happens everywhere and I think these “London is scary” stories are over the top.

Tottenham Court Road is a well known hotspot for this and I’ve seen it happen and my friend has had it happen to her twice!

phone lanyards are designed not to break away (they aren’t like work badge lanyards) and designed to be worn cross body like a bag, not round your neck. One of those is good but also if you do have to use your phone, stand back away from the kerb, up against a shop or inside so it’s more difficult for someone to swoop past you. Be aware of your surroundings. I have an Apple Watch so messages come in on that and if I’m walking up the road I will read the preview on my watch so I don’t have to get my phone out. The temptation is to get your phone out once you’re outside the tube but it’s helpful not to do that, also because inevitably everyone’s face buried in a phone means people holding everyone else up trying to get out of the station!

I work in central London. Almost had it done to me around Great Portland Street when walking and texting but he didn’t get the best grip and couldn’t quite yank it whilst on a e-bike at speed.

I’ve seen police officers pursue a balaclavad electric bike on foot down Piccadilly at 9:15am (good luck with that!)

Yesterday I was on the northern line and a guy tried to pickpocket a lady’s phone. It was a crowded train. She immediately said “you just took my phone from my pocket, give it back.” He denied it, it dropped on the floor, said she must have dropped it. She said “I know my phone, you took it out, I felt your hand and it coming out”. She was with two big chaps and they closed in and told him to get off at the next stop. they pushed him off, nicely done!

Honestly you’ll be fine taking pics in Burlington arcade and around Bond Street as long as you’re not an idiot and are mindful to your surroundings.

absent mindedly scrolling, texting, or map checking looking lost on a corner of a busy junction and you’re at risk.

I heard a phone in on this subject in the car on to way down to London on Friday. There were callers that had banking apps accessed and money drained out of their accounts within minutes of their phone being snatched & loans being taken out in their name.

I used my Apple Watch for maps when walking around left phone in my bag the rest of the time

How do you know this? Are you watching the streets all day or something?

Definitely worse. Activate any "anti theft" systems on your device.

Well they should have passcodes on the important apps. I can't see how they'd get into banking apps etc.
I turned on app passwords for key apps. So
.. I have to put my passcode, then finger print on to open any banking apps.

Have to finger print for contactless etc.

Ive sen it happen a lot. Usually e bikes and jump on curbs. I would say if you see someone on a bike or ebike making an odd move - especially when they’ve got a balaclava on get out the way asap. Dont get your phone out on the pavement or outside tube stations or stand rpund with your phone looking confused. If someone is coming for ypur phone drop it - it will be harder for them to grab but dont otherwise resist.

Omg that's terrifying! Was this near the tube? My office is just a few minutes walk away and we're always getting emails about people having their phones snatched outside the office.

Wow, where is this happening? Have lived in London my whole life. I live in zone 2, commute to a very tourist part of central London and have never seen this or heard of it happening.

does anyone know where the incidents have been recorded?

Yes you can buy an attachment where it goes around your neck.

I've seen footage of people where their phone is snatched. They tend to be walking along the outside of the pavement staring at their phone.

Tubes/train stations can be quite dodgy anyway so I wouldn't take your phone out, outside one. Use your phone inside the tube if you need to.

Largely, the people who get their phone snatched are the ones with it balanced on their hand, not paying attention to their surroundings. If you need to check your phone, tuck yourself into a coffee shop or similar. Don’t have it hanging visibly out a back or side pocket, and just be sensible like you would anywhere.

It is rife, but there’s also a tonne of people not taking basic safety measures.