Phone safety blog

Practical guides on phone theft and travel safety: what to do after a snatch, where it happens, and how to protect yourself.

• How to Lock a Stolen Android Phone From Another Device
  November 14, 2026

  Phone stolen? Lock it now from android.com/lock, Find Hub or Samsung SmartThings Find, plus when to erase it and who to call next.

• The Fake “Your Phone Was Found” Text: How the Scam Works
  November 14, 2026

  Got a text saying your stolen phone was found? It's likely phishing for your Apple or Google password. How the scam works and what to do if you clicked.

• Stolen Phone and Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App: What to Do
  November 14, 2026

  Phone stolen with Venmo, Zelle or Cash App on it? Who to call first, how to sign out and reach support, and how U.S. unauthorized-transfer rules work.

• Phone Stolen Abroad: A Step-by-Step Plan
  November 13, 2026

  Phone stolen while traveling? Lock it remotely, call your carrier from abroad, get a police report, contact the embassy and file your insurance claim.

• Phone Theft in Amsterdam: A Visitor's Guide
  November 13, 2026

  Amsterdam records more pickpocketing than any other Dutch city. Where phones go missing, what police advise, and how to report a theft as a visitor.

• Phone Theft in Chicago: Bars, Rides, Bank Apps
  November 13, 2026

  Chicago police alerts show how phones get taken: outside bars, at restaurant tables, on CTA platforms. What to watch for and how to protect bank apps.

• Anti-Theft Apps Compared: Alarms, Trackers, Snatch Locks
  November 12, 2026

  Alarms, trackers and snatch locks protect different moments. What each type of Android anti-theft app does, what it misses and what it costs.

• Samsung Theft Protection, Step by Step
  November 12, 2026

  How to turn on theft protection on a Samsung Galaxy: Theft Detection Lock, Identity Check, Security Delay, Samsung Find and Secure Folder.

• New Year's Eve at Copacabana: Phone Safety Guide
  November 12, 2026

  Réveillon draws millions to Copacabana. Where phone theft happens, what police and the U.S. Consulate advise, and what to set up before Dec 31.

• How to Find Your IMEI Before You Need It
  November 11, 2026

  What an IMEI is, the fastest ways to find it on Android and iPhone, how to look it up after a phone is gone, and why your carrier will ask for it.

• Theft Detection Lock Not Working? What to Check
  November 11, 2026

  Why Android's Theft Detection Lock sometimes doesn't fire, what Google says it needs, how to check it's on (Samsung too), and how to cover the gaps.

• How to Avoid Phone Snatching: What Police Advise
  November 11, 2026

  What police advise on phone snatching, from London to Austin: where to stand, how to carry your phone, what to set up and what to do if it's taken.

• Phone Theft Statistics by City, With Sources (2026)
  November 10, 2026

  Police and government phone theft figures for London, Brazil, Peru, Bogotá, Buenos Aires and New York, with what each number counts and its source.

• Rideshare and Delivery Phone Safety: A Practical Guide
  November 10, 2026

  How phones get taken from rideshare drivers, delivery riders and passengers, and what each can do at the curb, in the car and on the bike.

• Phone Theft at Festivals and Concerts: What to Know
  November 10, 2026

  Documented mass phone thefts at festivals and concerts, what organizers and police do about them, and how to protect your phone at your next show.

• Phone Theft in Bogotá and Medellín: A Traveler's Guide
  November 9, 2026

  Where and how phones are stolen in Bogotá and Medellín, the latest official figures, and what to do in the first minutes after a theft.

• Phone Theft in Mexico City: A Traveler's Guide (2026)
  November 9, 2026

  Where and how phones are stolen in Mexico City, the latest official figures, and what to do in the first minutes after a theft.

• Phone Theft in Lisbon: A Traveler's Guide (2026)
  November 9, 2026

  Where phones get stolen in Lisbon, Portugal's latest pickpocketing figures, and what to do in the first minutes, including where to find tourist police.

• Phone Stolen in Madrid? Where It Happens and What to Do
  November 8, 2026

  Madrid's latest official theft figures, where phones get taken (Metro, Gran Vía, Sol), and what to do in the first minutes, including SATE and 091.

• Santiago and Valparaíso Phone Theft: A Traveler's Guide
  November 8, 2026

  Where phones get taken in Santiago and Valparaíso, Chile's latest snatch-theft figures, and what to do in the first minutes, including carrier numbers.

• Phone Theft in Lima and Cusco: What Travelers Should Know
  November 8, 2026

  Where phones are taken in Lima and Cusco, Peru's latest theft figures, and what to do in the first minutes after a theft, including carrier numbers.

• Phone Stolen in Buenos Aires? A Traveler's Guide (2026)
  November 7, 2026

  Where phones are taken in Buenos Aires, what the city's 2025 crime figures show, and what to do in the first minutes after a theft, including *910.

• Phone Theft in Cape Town: A Traveler's Guide (2026)
  November 7, 2026

  Where and how phones are taken in Cape Town, what the official crime figures show, and what to do in the first minutes after a theft.

• Rio Carnival 2027: How to Keep Your Phone Safe
  November 7, 2026

  Carnival 2027 dates, what past Rio Carnivals show about phone theft, and what to do before and after a phone is stolen at the blocos.

• Android Theft Protection Explained: What Each Feature Does
  November 6, 2026

  What Android's built-in theft protection features do and don't do, how to turn them on, and the gap they leave.

• How Thieves Drain Bank Apps From a Stolen Phone
  November 6, 2026

  Real cases of stolen phones used to drain bank and payment apps, and the free settings and habits that make it harder.

• Phone Theft in Rome: A Traveler's Guide (2026)
  November 6, 2026

  Where and how phones are stolen in Rome, the latest official crime figures, and what to do in the first minutes after a theft.

• Holiday Travel Phone-Safety Checklist for 2026
  November 5, 2026

  A scannable checklist to protect your phone at airports, train stations, crowded stores and Christmas markets this holiday season.

• Phone Theft in San Francisco: A Visitor's Guide (2026)
  November 5, 2026

  Where phones are taken in San Francisco, what SFPD and BART data show, and exactly who to call if yours is stolen.

• Phone Theft in New York City: Where It Happens and How to Protect Yourself
  November 5, 2026

  Where phones get taken in NYC, what the numbers show, and the settings and habits that protect your phone and accounts.

• Motochorros: Phone Theft in Buenos Aires and Latin America
  November 4, 2026

  What motochorros are, what the numbers show across five Latin American cities, and how to protect and report a phone.

• Phone Theft in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro: Where It Happens and How to Protect Yourself
  November 4, 2026

  Where phones get stolen in São Paulo and Rio, how snatches work, the 2025 numbers, and how visitors can report a theft.

• Phone Theft in Paris: Where It Happens and How to Protect Yourself
  November 4, 2026

  Where phones get stolen in Paris, the tricks thieves use, what French authorities advise, and how to report a theft as a visitor.

• Phone Theft in Barcelona: Where It Happens and How to Protect Yourself
  November 3, 2026

  Where phones get stolen in Barcelona, the tricks thieves use, and what to set up before you go and do after a theft, including how to file a police report.

• Phone Theft in London: Where It Happens and How to Protect Yourself
  November 2, 2026

  Where phone theft clusters in London, how thieves operate, and what to set up, do on the street, and do if your phone is stolen.

• What to Do in the First 10 Minutes After Your Phone Is Snatched
  October 30, 2026

  A minute-by-minute checklist for Android and iPhone: lock it remotely, call your carrier, freeze cards, change passwords, warn contacts, and file a police report.