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Imagine my surprise when I struck up a conversation with a police officer in Barcelona for directions and he turned to my iPhone.
“I wouldn’t display that in public,” he said. “You better be careful.”
In the United States, thieves have been seizing expensive handbags, watches and other luxury items. But in Europe, apparently, the pickpockets have moved on from wallets to the iPhone, the world’s most popular smartphone.
Barcelona has a reputation as the “pickpocket capital” of the world, perhaps undeservedly, and the ease of re-selling stolen goods online, nabbed from distracted tourists, has enabled the thieves to pounce, the officer told me.
I was sporting my iPhone mounted in a filmmaking cage attached to a selfie stick, and the officer told me a thief would just zip by me and pull it out of my hand, probably on a bike, scooter or some other wheeled contraption.
We were chatting on La Rambla, the long walkway in Barcelona that’s filled with massive crowds and street vendors.
Since it was earlier in the day, I was probably okay, the officer said, but later, not so good, and especially bad on quiet, dark streets.
After my chat with the officer, I did some internet research, and it turns out that more phones are actually stolen in London—to the tune of one every six minutes, or 248 daily—than Spain, and that phone theft is indeed rampant all over Europe.
So some words of caution if you’re planning on visiting Europe this summer:
—Don’t have the phone sitting in your back pocket. Obvious, right?
—Stow the phone in a pouch.
—Don’t leave the phone unattended on a table. (Like most of us do.)
—Be extra, extra careful on a crowded Metro, where thieves are right on top of you.
—Don’t have the phone dangling from your hands, as you use it for GPS directions. Put on headphones and have the traffic app speak to you instead.
—Don’t text while you’re walking down the street. That could make you distracted and an easy prey for a thief.
—Have your back to the wall when using the phone, if possible, out in the streets, so that a thief couldn’t sneak up behind you and grab the goods.
Here are more tips from a London entity called Crimestoppers.
And this fascinating tale from a woman who dated a phone thief, what she learned about their techniques and her tips on how to prevent phone theft.
As I write this, we’re in Palermo, Italy, about to embark on week 2 of the three-week European adventure that began in beautiful Barcelona and will end there as well. Traveling is hard, and I don’t regret coming here, but you’ve seemingly really got to be on your toes much more than when traveling to most parts of the U.S.
SmugMug
This newsletter is sponsored by our friends at the SmugMug photo platform, which has really served me well on this trip. The SmugMug phone app is a godsend for backing up photos and videos while on the road. Before I go to sleep each night, I plug in the phone for a charge and open the app, which sucks in all the images. When I awake, everything is backed up. Works like a charm, and the backup is unlimited. Take advantage of the free two-week trial at http://www.smugmug.com
I’ll be back at you in the coming weeks with PhotowalksTV episodes from Barcelona and Sicily, showing you the greatest hits and then some, photographed, with caution and both hands on my iPhone.
Luckily, I brought along two spares—an am I glad I did.
Thanks as always for checking out the newsletter. Let me know your thoughts with a reply. Have you been victim to a phone theft in Europe?
From Palermo, Arrivederci!
Jeff
Hi Jeff, in Barcelona the pickpocketing is located in few places, like La Rambla, plaza de Cataluña, etc where the masses of tourists are, but as you mention is generally safe. What a trip!!! Thanks for sharing!!! ,cheers
Sure, it will be safe. If you have time, visit Gaudi’s park Guell. Beautiful view of the city and the sea.