Phone Snatchers

[busfan4022]

Yesterday I boarded the Red Line at the Sheridan stop going southbound at around 4~4:20 pm. I noticed two teens wearing a blue "Hollister" sweatshirt that were obviously eying me as I got on. Even while I was getting on, one of the teens followed me from behind as I sat in my seat while trying to stay conspicuous. They both ended up sitting across from me, acting suspiciously while talking in a very low voice (almost as if they were whispering) and scoping out the people on the train. It was completely obvious to me as with what they were trying to do, so I kept my smartphone out of view and had it sitting on my side, next to the window, out of sight. Another passenger on the train wasn't so lucky, because while the train pulled up to the FULLERTON stop, a teen stood up for about 5 minutes, and all the while the target gazed out of the window with the iPhone in her hand listening to her music, it was then snatched and both suspects made there getaway as she desperately tried to chase them.

I just wanted to give some tips out because this issue is [VERY] real to [ALL] riders on [EVERY] color line.

Pay attention to your surroundings!

-Thieves can be easily spotted if you just LOOK around, they often act very suspiciously and the telltale signs are impossible to miss. Always look up and around before the train doors open.

Hold on to your smartphones!

- Simple, keep them out of sight and in your pockets. Don't give thieves any opportunity to steal your phone! If you must keep them out; hold on to them tightly while in your lap (same goes for all parcels).

Protect your Info!

- Make *SURE* you have some sort of password protection on your phone, and always have a copy of either an old phone bill or the unique MEID (or IMEI for iPhones) written down somewhere (this can be usually found underneath the battery pack of all major smartphones, and on the retail box of an iPhone). There is even "security apps" that can help you find your missing phone that you can download for free to track the thieves.

It seems like this is happening more and more each day. I'm not sure CTA plans to do about this, I've emailed them and no response so far about what their security tactics should be. I think CTA should have at least two people on the train and enforce more security. This issue is rising as riders increasingly become more discerned with their surrounds.

[Busjack]

The CTA Tattler has been commenting a lot about this in the past few months. Kevin O'Neil summarized his coverage of the problem here, with similar suggestions.

[MRCTA]

Yesterday I boarded the Red Line at the Sheridan stop going southbound at around 4~4:20 pm. I noticed two teens wearing a blue "Hollister" sweatshirt that were obviously eying me as I got on. Even while I was getting on, one of the teens followed me from behind as I sat in my seat while trying to stay conspicuous. They both ended up sitting across from me, acting suspiciously while talking in a very low voice (almost as if they were whispering) and scoping out the people on the train. It was completely obvious to me as with what they were trying to do, so I kept my smartphone out of view and had it sitting on my side, next to the window, out of sight. Another passenger on the train wasn't so lucky, because while the train pulled up to the FULLERTON stop, a teen stood up for about 5 minutes, and all the while the target gazed out of the window with the iPhone in her hand listening to her music, it was then snatched and both suspects made there getaway as she desperately tried to chase them.

I just wanted to give some tips out because this issue is [VERY] real to [ALL] riders on [EVERY] color line.

Pay attention to your surroundings!

-Thieves can be easily spotted if you just LOOK around, they often act very suspiciously and the telltale signs are impossible to miss. Always look up and around before the train doors open.

Hold on to your smartphones!

- Simple, keep them out of sight and in your pockets. Don't give thieves any opportunity to steal your phone! If you must keep them out; hold on to them tightly while in your lap (same goes for all parcels).

Protect your Info!

- Make *SURE* you have some sort of password protection on your phone, and always have a copy of either an old phone bill or the unique MEID (or IMEI for iPhones) written down somewhere (this can be usually found underneath the battery pack of all major smartphones, and on the retail box of an iPhone). There is even "security apps" that can help you find your missing phone that you can download for free to track the thieves.

It seems like this is happening more and more each day. I'm not sure CTA plans to do about this, I've emailed them and no response so far about what their security tactics should be. I think CTA should have at least two people on the train and enforce more security. This issue is rising as riders increasingly become more discerned with their surrounds.

Sometimes(especially with cell phones & other electronic devices)you just have to be careful while riding the "L" or bus! Watch your surroundings!

[busfan4022]

Well apparently CTA has gotten the message. I saw approximately 15 police officers patrolling the Jackson Redline subway station yesterday. Reportedly, thats were most of the crimes happen. But it still doesn't make much of a difference if there isn't any personnel on the train for security reasons. What happened to the Guardian Angles that used to patrol the trains? I've seen them once or twice and never again. Instead of putting money into expansion projects, CTA should put that money into more heightened security measures. Whats the point of having more frequent riders when the ones already using public transit can't even feel safe? Wouldn't adding more frequent riders on the lines cause even more security risks?

[Busjack]

Guardian Angels: They were around to apprehend the guy who killed the woman at Addison while fleeing down the stairs with booty.

As to adding riders, maybe crooks would be deterred if there were more witnesses or people willing to take them on, but, conversely, one is only providing more booty.

[Guest]

Yesterday I boarded the Red Line at the Sheridan stop going southbound at around 4~4:20 pm. I noticed two teens wearing a blue "Hollister" sweatshirt that were obviously eying me as I got on. Even while I was getting on, one of the teens followed me from behind as I sat in my seat while trying to stay conspicuous. They both ended up sitting across from me, acting suspiciously while talking in a very low voice (almost as if they were whispering) and scoping out the people on the train. It was completely obvious to me as with what they were trying to do, so I kept my smartphone out of view and had it sitting on my side, next to the window, out of sight. Another passenger on the train wasn't so lucky, because while the train pulled up to the FULLERTON stop, a teen stood up for about 5 minutes, and all the while the target gazed out of the window with the iPhone in her hand listening to her music, it was then snatched and both suspects made there getaway as she desperately tried to chase them.

I just wanted to give some tips out because this issue is [VERY] real to [ALL] riders on [EVERY] color line.

Pay attention to your surroundings!

-Thieves can be easily spotted if you just LOOK around, they often act very suspiciously and the telltale signs are impossible to miss. Always look up and around before the train doors open.

Hold on to your smartphones!

- Simple, keep them out of sight and in your pockets. Don't give thieves any opportunity to steal your phone! If you must keep them out; hold on to them tightly while in your lap (same goes for all parcels).

Protect your Info!

- Make *SURE* you have some sort of password protection on your phone, and always have a copy of either an old phone bill or the unique MEID (or IMEI for iPhones) written down somewhere (this can be usually found underneath the battery pack of all major smartphones, and on the retail box of an iPhone). There is even "security apps" that can help you find your missing phone that you can download for free to track the thieves.

It seems like this is happening more and more each day. I'm not sure CTA plans to do about this, I've emailed them and no response so far about what their security tactics should be. I think CTA should have at least two people on the train and enforce more security. This issue is rising as riders increasingly become more discerned with their surrounds.

Everytime I read or hear stories like these, it just makes me want to pound the offenders face as hard as I possibly could, onto the pavement! Where do these scumbags get off taking other peoples property? Im sorry if Im going off but this just infuriates me. I was victim to a break in on my personal car many years ago. I caught the guy in the act trying to snatch my car stereo. Before he could make his getaway, I was so angered, I grabbed him as hard as I could from behind and yanked him out of my car! We got into a struggle, he dropped the radio and fled. I just cant stand people who make a living out of this!

[sw4400]

Guardian Angels: They were around to apprehend the guy who killed the woman at Addison while fleeing down the stairs with booty.

You mean the guy who killed the woman at Fullerton.

[sw4400]

Everytime I read or hear stories like these, it just makes me want to pound the offenders face as hard as I possibly could, onto the pavement! Where do these scumbags get off taking other peoples property? Im sorry if Im going off but this just infuriates me. I was victim to a break in on my personal car many years ago. I caught the guy in the act trying to snatch my car stereo. Before he could make his getaway, I was so angered, I grabbed him as hard as I could from behind and yanked him out of my car! We got into a struggle, he dropped the radio and fled. I just cant stand people who make a living out of this!

OT a bit, but I got on a #78 bus this afternoon with a co-worker, and there were these three really, really, really rude teenagers in the back(NOVA Bus) using all sorts of expletives and sexual refrences, playing a radio, etc... One of the girls was taking up three seats(sitting in one, feet on two), when the co-worker took one of the seats, she said "Well, I'll finish my story with you guys." The co-worker points out she was taking up three seats, and she said "Yeah, I was. But you take up two when you sit down."

[Busjack]

You mean the guy who killed the woman at Fullerton.

The Guardian Angels were at Addison, but I guess I got it confused with the dead woman. They apprehended several snatchers, nonetheless.

[BusHunter]

Everytime I read or hear stories like these, it just makes me want to pound the offenders face as hard as I possibly could, onto the pavement! Where do these scumbags get off taking other peoples property? Im sorry if Im going off but this just infuriates me. I was victim to a break in on my personal car many years ago. I caught the guy in the act trying to snatch my car stereo. Before he could make his getaway, I was so angered, I grabbed him as hard as I could from behind and yanked him out of my car! We got into a struggle, he dropped the radio and fled. I just cant stand people who make a living out of this!

Probably the best policy is not to flash your valuables in the first place. It's like ringing the dinner bell. These thieves look for an easy score to trade in for cash. I would never use a smart phone on public transit, flash cash or dress expensively or wear gold chains. It's just not worth the risk. Also when taking on a suspect yourself, you don't know if the person has a gun, knife or whatever. Better to lose your valuables than your life. I know of someone who was car jacked fought back was shot and is now paralyzed. I sure if he had a replay he would gladly say take the car. The trouble is you never know how these things are going to play out.

[artthouwill]

Probably the best policy is not to flash your valuables in the first place. It's like ringing the dinner bell. These thieves look for an easy score to trade in for cash. I would never use a smart phone on public transit, flash cash or dress expensively or wear gold chains. It's just not worth the risk. Also when taking on a suspect yourself, you don't know if the person has a gun, knife or whatever. Better to lose your valuables than your life. I know of someone who was car jacked fought back was shot and is now paralyzed. I sure if he had a replay he would gladly say take the car. The trouble is you never know how these things are going to play out.

True, yet the reason thievery thrives is because there is little to no resistance to the crime. If someone thought it would be hard to pull off a crime like this, they wouldn't. Yet it is the few and very few that do carry weapons that create the path of least resistance.

Also people tend to be very careless with these smartphones, ipads, etc. You won't believe the amount of times people leave them on the vehicles of the company I work for. This is an everyday occurence. And this is a private transportation business. Carelessness just makes thieves lives easier.

[BusHunter]

True, yet the reason thievery thrives is because there is little to no resistance to the crime. If someone thought it would be hard to pull off a crime like this, they wouldn't. Yet it is the few and very few that do carry weapons that create the path of least resistance.

Also people tend to be very careless with these smartphones, ipads, etc. You won't believe the amount of times people leave them on the vehicles of the company I work for. This is an everyday occurence. And this is a private transportation business. Carelessness just makes thieves lives easier.

The trouble with Smart phones are that there not smart enough. If all phones had a locator/tracking service standard then if stolen, then thieves would know they run the risk of being arrested and would be deterred from trying this. For extra insurance a proximity alarm could be set to go off to alert anyone a crime is in progress. Maybe in the future voice recognition software could be installed in the phone rendering it useless to anyone other than the owner. Then you have an unstealable phone. But as IPADs and other similar portable devices get smaller they will become the next prey. IPods already are. So they go from one thing to the next. I remember in the 80's they used to steal gold chains off the necks of unsuspecting passengers around the doors. So as the time changes the crime changes.

[Kevin]

The trouble with Smart phones are that there not smart enough. If all phones had a locator/tracking service standard then if stolen, then thieves would know they run the risk of being arrested and would be deterred from trying this. For extra insurance a proximity alarm could be set to go off to alert anyone a crime is in progress. Maybe in the future voice recognition software could be installed in the phone rendering it useless to anyone other than the owner. Then you have an unstealable phone.

iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads come with the free Find my iPhone service. When you setup a new device, Apple encourages you to set it up. This service allows you to view the location of the device on a map, send a message and audible alert, and remotely wipe all data from the phone. There have been several success stories thanks to this service, but as criminals get smarter it could become less effective. If you don't have a passcode on your device, disabling location services will prevent its tracking. With a passcode, a theft just needs to immediately turn the phone off.

The best way to create an "unstealable" phone is to have the device's unique IMEI number blacklisted by the carriers. But, to the best of my knowledge, US carriers have been hesitant to implement such a blacklist.

[Busjack]

The trouble with Smart phones are that there not smart enough. If all phones had a locator/tracking service standard ...

I thought that all digital phones did, at least to give their gps coordinates so that they could find the nearest tower.*

We don't hear anything about the old days when someone was calling for help on an analogue phone, but because there weren't enough towers to triangulate, the police couldn't find the victim until too late.

Of course, the phones or tracking systems may not be as good as the commercial for On-Star ("This is Bolivar. You say someone just stole your car. We will report it to police and shut it down.")

There were also the reports last week that Apple and Google were excessive in collecting gps information from their phone devices.

___________

*Kevin's response didn't go up until I clicked post, so, of course, I would defer to him.

[MRCTA]

Everytime I read or hear stories like these, it just makes me want to pound the offenders face as hard as I possibly could, onto the pavement! Where do these scumbags get off taking other peoples property? Im sorry if Im going off but this just infuriates me. I was victim to a break in on my personal car many years ago. I caught the guy in the act trying to snatch my car stereo. Before he could make his getaway, I was so angered, I grabbed him as hard as I could from behind and yanked him out of my car! We got into a struggle, he dropped the radio and fled. I just cant stand people who make a living out of this!

People should learn how to respect something that belongs to somebody else!

[Busjack]

People should learn how to respect something that belongs to somebody else!

Won't happen so long as it has value at the "fence." As Kevin points out, Apple products have gps ways of disabling them, but as the CTA Tattler's Kevin O'Neil points out, seem to be the preferred target.

After all, there are dumbos who get electrocuted pulling wires out of presumed vacant buildings, or even air conditioners outside occupied ones to get the value of the copper, or try to fence peoplehole covers with the city's name embossed on them.

[MRCTA]

Everytime I read or hear stories like these, it just makes me want to pound the offenders face as hard as I possibly could, onto the pavement! Where do these scumbags get off taking other peoples property? Im sorry if Im going off but this just infuriates me. I was victim to a break in on my personal car many years ago. I caught the guy in the act trying to snatch my car stereo. Before he could make his getaway, I was so angered, I grabbed him as hard as I could from behind and yanked him out of my car! We got into a struggle, he dropped the radio and fled. I just cant stand people who make a living out of this!

Maybe it's because(other than people not being careful)they can't afford to buy one, so they see you with one and want to take it from you! You've worked hard for that device and then someone comes along and takes it right out of your hands(or pocket)They should go out and get a job and save their money(I know times are hard these days)and buy one! or could it be they're jealous because you have what they want?

[busfan4022]

Maybe it's because(other than people not being careful)they can't afford to buy one, so they see you with one and want to take it from you! You've worked hard for that device and then someone comes along and takes it right out of your hands(or pocket)They should go out and get a job and save their money(I know times are hard these days)and buy one! or could it be they're jealous because you have what they want?

Not trying to offend, but you sound a little naive.

9 times out of 10 those phones and other gizmos get stolen to be SOLD for quick cash. A nice iPhone/Android/Windows smartphone can easily be sold in a matter hours for $200+

[Scionic]

iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads come with the free Find my iPhone service. When you setup a new device, Apple encourages you to set it up. This service allows you to view the location of the device on a map, send a message and audible alert, and remotely wipe all data from the phone. There have been several success stories thanks to this service, but as criminals get smarter it could become less effective. If you don't have a passcode on your device, disabling location services will prevent its tracking. With a passcode, a theft just needs to immediately turn the phone off.

The best way to create an "unstealable" phone is to have the device's unique IMEI number blacklisted by the carriers. But, to the best of my knowledge, US carriers have been hesitant to implement such a blacklist.

I work with Find My iPhone pretty much every day, and while there are a few success stories, I don't think you can really rely on it as a theft recovery system. Find My iPhone relies on the device's internet connection to report it's location back to Apple. In most cases, the phone is lifted, the SIM card is pulled, the device is never connected to a WiFi network, and the device goes dark since it has no way to report its location. Furthermore, someone looking to flip the phone will likely restore it or something so it's like a new device again, and once that happens, Find My iPhone will never work.

Long story short, the best thing you can really do is just be vigilant. If I use my iPhone on the bus/train, I use the thing with a death grip.