Pickpockets and Cell Phones

I have a Pacsafe Metrosafe Messenger Bag. It's in one of the semi-locked pockets. Too many steps to get it so a thief would probably move on to the next target. If it's not in there, it's in my hand.

I just put it in my pocket, same as at home.

Roy, Peter brings up a good point. Europeans, in general, don't carry their cellphones on their belts like we do in the U.S. They are usually in a pocket.

Many cell phones are smaller than a wallet. Even assuming that a cell phone is carried in the front pocket instead of a hip pocket, what's to prevent an opportunistic professional pickpocket from lifting it? The thief might even think he is reaching for a wallet and then tossing it when he finds out it is not what he thought, but the cell phone would still be gone. I would imagine some inventor could find a good market for a theft-proof cell phone holder.

Nothing really.

My take is that every time the phone leaves my house there's a very, very small chance it might be stolen and a much larger (although still very small on an absolute scale) chance that I might lose it. Now I could leave it at home to be on the safe side but that does somewhat defy the point of having a mobile phone (plus I'd still be running a small risk of burglars, house fires, earthquakes...)

I have the same philosophy with my wallet, its sole purpose is to corral my cash and cards into one handy, pocket sized, package that I can carry during my day-to-day business.

What my husband recommends is carrying a cell phone that DOESN'T WORK in Europe, in spite of the wireless company's claims to the contrary, and in spite of the fact that it works in India. Then, once you realize it doesn't work, leave it in your hotel room (anywhere will do, since no one in their right mind will steal a non-functioning Blackberry). THEN, you go to an internet cafe to e-mail your company (on a non-querty keyboard, of course, since this is Paris, where they need a keyboard that kind of goes with their language) that your #$@%^ phone does NOT WORK and that you will therefore be out of reach for a while, but that it doesn't really matter because you are supposed to be ON VACATION. And your wife and children will be so thrilled that you have left your work behind for a change.

Good luck.

I use a StashSafe 200 fanny pack. It will hold my video cam, camera, cell phone, small day money change purse and much more.

All the pants that I will be wearing have a side pocket located about half way down the thigh that will either zip or button that my phone will slide down into. I'm hoping the zipper and or button will make a would be pick pocket think twice.

Roy,

I normally carry my Cell phone in a leather case which has an attached belt clip, as I do at home. That works well most of the time as it's usually hidden under my travel Vest. If I'm going to be in a "high risk" area (ie: a crowded Metro in Paris or Rome), I put the Cell phone into an inner pocket in my Vest which is secured with Velcro.

At least one of my shirts has "security pockets", and the phone would easily fit into one of those as well. This is one of the shirts I usually pack on trips to Europe.

Cheers!

Generally a pick pocket will target something that is worth while to them, a wallet with cash and credit cards, a passport they can turn over on the black market, etc. A North American cellphone is not going to be particularly high on the list of things to steal. If it is an iPhone or something of that calibre though, that might be a different story.

Yeah, my phone is the only thing I don't "lock up" when I'm out. It's too hard to get to it if I put it in a secured pocket with all of the clips blocking it!

The phone is 4 years old now. It has served me well back in the states and here in Europe. If someone lifted it, it would be a really fantastic excuse for me to upgrade and nothing more :)

I have about 6 blouses by EBTek (Eddie Bower) Exofficio like the one Ken posted with the velcro and zippers. I could not travel without them.

I like Ashley's husband's approach, but regarding the original question, I don't think U.S. cell phones are high value targets. If you are concerned I'd suggest two things:

1) Take a cheaper, older cell (if you don't need all the features of a newer phone). I have some old Motorolas that fit the bill for me although on my most recent trip I used my newest Sony.

2) Set a SIM PIN so that the phone won't work without it once it has been turned off. The PIN is a 4-digit code that will lock the account until it is keyed in. I'm not sure how hard it would be to crack it, but you could probably report a lost phone before that happened.

I wear a messenger bag all the time, and it has a pocket inside for my handy. Sometimes I keep it in my pocket if I am waiting for a call or just don't feel like carrying my bag.

Handys are so cheap over here, beginning at 20 euro, that they really are not a high pick-pocket item. Plus most people keep them on "lock" so they don't automatically dial people while bouncing around in your bag or in you pocket. Not worth it to steal really if you don't know the pin number. Husband has an I-phone and always carries it in his pants pocket. In Italy, he carried it in his shirt pocket though.

Roy, Take an international calling card with you just in case there is a problem with your phone. When I arrived in Ireland my first time over my phone would not work. I called home and Verizon had not set up my account right nor had my sim card been set up. Verizon was able to zap my phone right there in my hotel room and make it start working. When I got back home I sent in a copy where the hotel charged me for the phone call. I got a credit back on my bill for that money.

I'm not nearly as concerned about a cell phone. It's just not as valuable of target as a credit card, cash or even your ID. Although you could potentially lose a lot (cost of the phone, cost of calls) if you lost your cellphone, the thief doesn't have that much to gain. I would just keep a cell phone in my pocket and probably not in a daypack.

Thanks to all for the input. I guess there is not any great need, after all, for extra security for cell phones. Except for the iPods and BlacBerry devices that are too complex for me, theft may be less of a concern than I had thought, but it still helps to take simple precautions, like a printed list of phone numbers that includes the cell phone provider. My own experience this year was a disaster: A lost phone that was recovered but would not work as promised. Ashley's husband has the right idea, but some of us never learn. If my "Global" phone does not work next spring in Bavaria, I may end up begging a thief to take it.