Phone and purse stealling-people on Ebikes, etc

I am so sorry that you have become this worried about this. Yes, you should be careful anywhere, but there are not gangs of people on e-bikes ready to swoop down on you the minute you take your cell phone out. Wear your purse cross body. Use your phone discretely. Do have a credit card with you as you will need one when out and about in London. It is almost a cashless society.

Dress as nicely as you like. I wouldn’t wear expensive jewelry when traveling anywhere, but nice clothes are not an issue. Also, your friend needs to get offline!

Tell your friend to quit watching Clickbait

Your friend is giving you completely bad advice and trying to scare you to death for no apparent reason besides

I have spent a couple of weeks in London in the past year and I’ve never seen this cell phone theft. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen but it’s not happening every five minutes as is your friend is trying to make you believe. Just use some common sense. I see locals using their phone several times a day to get on and off the tube but apparently if you’re a tourists, it’s too dangerous to even touch your phone! really?

The dressing is also hysterically funny. in London, people in London just like people in the United States and you will not be out of place if you are nicely dressed.

I’m a little worried that you’re entire trip is going be ruined because you’re traveling with someone who believes advice they get from places that are not reliable apparently

Maybe if you live in the USA you respond to your friend that the nice thing is your chances of being shot are dramatically lower than going to the grocery store at home

Thank you for your advice. She and I are not afraid when we are with each other or someone else but for parts of our travels, we will be alone. We are staying in the City of London area near the Tower Hall and Liverpool Street tube/train stations and she will be there alone on a Sunday afternoon/Monday all-day and Tuesday morning. She was looking forward to walking all over the city alone but using her phone for navigation of the streets and that is why she was concerned.

I told her I heard good things about the hop-on/off bus that goes to all major sites so if anyone can offer insight into that option for a solo traveler, let me know.

I am an older woman, and I have walked around London, by myself, using my phone for navigation. I have not felt unsafe.

Frankly, I can't think of anything more boring than sitting on a HOHO bus in London traffic.

I have traveled solo in London several times, using my phone for navigation.

You don't need to use the HoHo. The regular London buses go everywhere you need for much less money. Please read up on how to use the Tube and the bus - there are YouTube videos that will walk you through how to pay, how to board, how to navigate, etc.

So many people have their phones out everywhere. I mean, a purse or phone snatching could happen anywhere to anyone. Do all Londoners walk around in drab rags wearing a money belt and keeping their phones put up? They don't. They wear what they want and many of them never look up from their phones while walking on the streets. There are a lot of people out on the streets too. The odds are TINY that you and your friend, among the crowds, would even be a target.

You can use your phone for navigation with earbuds. You'll look even more like a local then. I'm sure it works the same whether you use google maps, apple maps, whatever. Set your route, tap start, and it will give you turn by turn directions. Put your earbuds in and you're set.

It's such a bummer that people are being led to believe that these cities in Europe are lawless hellholes. I live in Atlanta, notorious for gun violence. I don't live in fear. However, I am much less afraid for my personal safety while I'm in Europe. I use common sense. If I'm sitting outside at a cafe in Berlin, I don't leave my phone on the table, but I don't do it at my neighborhood hangout either.

Besides London, I've traveled solo to Paris (tiwce), Rome, Florence, Berlin (three times), Zurich, Iceland, Copenhagen and Amsterdam plus multiple cities in the US. I'm a mid-fifties lady. I take the normal, sensible precautions that anyone should take anywhere, and not once have I ever been concerned about my personal safety.

Please go, wear nice clothes, relax and enjoy yourselves!!

Nothing to worry about. London would have to be one of the safest cities in Europe. And the central parts of it are full of wealthy, well-dressed people who manage not to get robbed.

I dress up when I'm in London (not sure where your friend got the idea not to dress well), use my phone to tap onto the tube, pay for things and sometimes look at maps. I'm there 4-5 times a year and have never been robbed.

Like everything, criminals follows trends. Phone snatchings by thieves on mopeds was a thing a few years ago, but the police shut that down through tactical contact. Then ebikes became a thing, but there was a significant fall in offences over the past 12 months after police reintroduced officers on bikes. In any event, very few offences happened in the City and West End, and they were a tiny number given the size of the population.

Just like at home, I keep my wallet and phone in my pocket. How do you keep your valuables at home? London is really no different than any other big city, so not sure why people go for a money belt when they don't use one at home.

Tell your friend to relax and enjoy.

PS
I do see a lot of questions from Americans about safety in Europe. To be honest, reading the news I'd feel the same about visiting the US, and probably my concerns would be equally unwarranted.

Please do not worry about this. I go to London alone and use my phone for maps etc just as I would anywhere else. London is really pretty safe. You have to remember that 15 million people live in the London area. Obviously bad things can happen but the chances are very small!

And please dress how you want to dress. You’ll see more designer clothes in London than anywhere else in the UK. It’s not going to make you stand out.

As has already been said, take reasonable precautions as you would in any large city and you will minimize your risk of being a target. There is no place in the universe that has zero risk of petty crime - even in my small town. You just have to do your best and not let it ruin your vacation.

I navigated all over London using Citymapper using my cell phone, attached to this wrist lanyard. The only time I felt the need to pay close attention to my things was on crowded tube trains, just as I would on any mass transit system in the world.

I’ve visited London solo 5 times and feel quite safe there with the usual precautions others have mentioned. I don’t use my phone for navigation, prefer to use my laminated Streetwise map, though I do use it for apps like TFL and Citymapper when trying to figure out transit. London has signposts everywhere that tell you where you are and what’s interesting nearby, and where the closest Underground station is—if I can find the Tube I can get myself anywhere.

Not common and little to be concerned about. Be aware of your surroundings and put the gadgets away unless you need them. London is very walkable and easy to navigate without having to have a phone in your hands at all times. Only bring it out when needed.

Personally, I’d be more concerned about going into New York, San Francisco, Baltimore, or any other major U.S. city.

I'm fairly certain that petty crime is higher in large cities in Europe than in the U.S. However, violent crime is much lower. Eleven people were murdered on July 4th in Chicago.

Take reasonable precautions and have fun. Educate yourself on common scams, and stay off youTube.

HOHO bus services are a very useful service for tourists to get to know many cities around the world but London is one of them. The constant traffic means that the circuit can take an interminable time to get round, they are barred from driving past some locations such as Buckingham Palace. If you hop off, you may have to wait a long time to hop back on again because of the slow journey times and the next bus is often full. Just use the comprehensive public transport system of tube and buses and your own feet.

Tell your friend Truman was President when I was born. I’m lucky to have traveled to and stayed in London since 1972. Most recent stay was for a month in 2022. I love attending theatre in London. Night performances. In 2022 saw Hamilton. Was staying at the Richmond Premiere Inn. Easily a 25 minute tube ride from Covent Garden to the Richmond Quadrant. Was nearly midnight when I started walking back to the hotel from the Quadrant. Simply paid attention to my surroundings as I strolled. Didn’t look at iPhone or have ear buds in.

I have stayed in a variety of neighborhoods in hotels, apartments and AirBnB’s. Never ever have I felt unsafe as a solo female traveler.

I do not carry a purse. I wear a money belt. As I travel in the Fall I find that my Amazon Rain Coat has all the pockets I need. FYI it’s a man’s raincoat because it has interior pockets while the woman’s coat doesn’t. Nary a soul knows it’s a man’s raincoat. I’ve had it for 3 years. Before that, same choice of raincoat from REI. A man’s….it’s all about the extra interior pockets; for wallet, gloves, Kleenex, keys and glasses.

London is a great city. My favorite. Don’t be frightened. In absolute honesty, I live in LA. I wouldn’t be caught dead going to downtown LA for any reason.

I am always a solo traveler and each trip usually includes London. I feel safer there than I do in downtown Minneapolis. I take precautions-money belt, cross body purse with only daily essentials, not walking on dark streets where I feel uncomfortable at night, etc., etc. I wear the same clothes when abroad as I do in US, but do not travel with any jewelry I wouldn't want to lose. Usually my cell is in an inside zip pocket of the jacket I tend to take to the UK. Take a deep breath, smile and assure yourself and your friend that you will be fine.

Follow these three things and you should be fine no matter if you are together or alone:

Keep everything except your day money, transit pass(es) if any, and one credit card in your money belt and use the belt properly under your cloths. Can give details if you like.

Keep your day money, transit pass(es) if any, and one credit card in a cross body bag, or wear your regular bag in front of you as if it were a cross body bag.

Maintain situational awarness -- watch what is going on around you. Part of SA is not putting yourself in super crowded or dicey looking places. If the tube car is jam packed, just wait for the next one. And if something doesn't "feel right" or "look right", follow your instincts as they are usually right for most people.

Oh, and dress up as much as you like, it'll do wonders for your mental outlook. Just avoid flashy, expensive looking jewelry.

Lisa, don't let fear mongers ruin your trip. Go and enjoy!

Things do happen, anywhere, sometimes.

Yes, there really was fairly recently a gang of youths on souped up e-bikes who did steal many phones each day and when they were caught - yes, they were caught - they had dozens of phones in a flat. But the point is, they did draw the attention of both the public and the police, and they were caught and punished with time behind bars. That particular problem very nearly completely disappeared with their removal from the street.

Please don't worry. I go into London and take some precautions, but not using my phone isn't one of them.

Come and enjoy yourselves.

Thank you all very much for the great advice and re-assurance. I used to have one of those raincoats described...man's, lots of interior pockets. But it was really hot when I traveled in the summer although I felt super safe with it everywhere I went. Good idea! And, thank you for letting me know about the gang that was caught. Maybe people are still circulating those posts on social media from when they were more active.

I'm sorry to hear your friend is making you feel scared. I've been to London many times as a solo female and there was a time when "happy slapping" strangers was the big news in London. Safe to say I never had that happen.

My advice remains the same. Buy a small crossbag purse and wear it with the zippers in back. You can take out your phone as most other Londoners also have phones. But I never walk around carrying my iPhone on vacation. Just take a few photos and put it back in my purse.

Other than that and to be aware of your surroundings I think you will be fine.