By Michael Harlow · Published November 7, 2026 · About 6 minutes to read

Phone Stolen in Buenos Aires? A Traveler's Guide (2026)

Buenos Aires is a walking city. You'll lean on your phone for maps, ride apps, restaurant bookings and a lot of photos of San Telmo and La Boca. The good news: recorded crime in the city fell sharply in 2025. The less good news: phones are still a favorite target. Here's what the numbers show, where and how phones get taken, and what to do in the first minutes if it happens to you.

The numbers: falling, but phones are still a target

The U.S. State Department keeps Argentina at Level 1, "exercise normal precautions," and a July 2026 update removed Rosario from its list of higher-risk areas (Perfil).

The City of Buenos Aires' official crime map (Mapa del Delito) recorded 50,069 robberies in 2025, down 27% from 68,392 in 2024 (Buenos Aires Times, February 2026). Thefts without violence (hurtos) fell 21%, from 62,771 to 49,641. Robberies carried out from motorcycles barely moved: 5,587 in 2025 against 5,758 the year before. The city calls these preliminary figures, and they don't break out phones.

Nationally, Argentina's Ministry of Security reported robberies down 21.6% and thefts down 17.4% in 2025 (June 2026).

Where phones are taken

Central hotspots. Mapa del Delito data for 2023, reported by iProfesional in November 2025, put the corner of Pueyrredón and Corrientes in Balvanera first, with 426 robberies and thefts. Next came the Obelisco (380), Constitución station (352), Retiro station (306) and Plaza de Mayo (219). Those counts cover everything stolen, not only phones, but they show where crowds and thieves meet.

Tourist neighborhoods. The UK government advises particular caution in Palermo, San Telmo (including its market), La Boca, Retiro, Florida Street, 9 de Julio and Avenida de Mayo. In La Boca it singles out the streets outside the Caminito tourist area and suggests staying inside the patrolled tourist zone.

Transit. The same UK page says thieves and pickpockets work public transport and bus and train terminals. One example: in June 2025, city police arrested four people, two of them on a Subte Line A platform, with 14 phones allegedly taken by pickpocketing in the Flores shopping district (A24).

How thieves operate

The street snatch. The UK warns that thieves can grab a phone while you're using it on the street, and that riders on motorbikes snatch bags from pedestrians. For more on motorcycle thieves (motochorros), see our guide to motochorros in Buenos Aires and Latin America.
The "mustard scam." Someone sprays mustard or another substance on you, and a helpful stranger offers to clean it off while an accomplice takes your bag. The UK's advice: politely but firmly refuse help and walk away.
Bag-cutting and seat-back bags. In crowds, thieves can cut bags open. At cafés, don't hang a bag on the back of your chair.
Drink spiking. In August 2024 the U.S. Embassy warned of a rise in robberies of drugged victims, some met at bars or through dating apps, with phones often taken (Buenos Aires Herald).
Street taxis. The UK suggests booking taxis in advance and, if you hail one on the street, using only a "radio taxi."

Before you go: set up your phone

Turn on your phone's theft tools. On Android, check Google's theft protection settings: Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock and Remote Lock. Remote Lock needs a screen lock, an active SIM, a verified phone number and Find Hub turned on, so set it up now. On iPhone, turn on Find My and check Stolen Device Protection, which may already be on. Our guide to Android's theft protection walks through each setting.
Write down your IMEI. Dial *#06# and keep the 15-digit number somewhere off the phone. iProfesional notes it's what your carrier uses to block a stolen handset.
Hide message previews on the lock screen so codes don't show, and save your bank's and carrier's phone numbers somewhere you can reach without your phone. Here's why bank apps matter most.
Consider an extra layer. A wrist strap keeps the phone attached to you. On Android, apps like Thummer add a lock tied to your grip: your thumb rests in an on-screen bubble, and if it lifts, the phone locks within five seconds.

On the street

Step back from the curb into a doorway or shop before you check a map.
Keep the phone out of sight in crowds, on the Subte and around stations.
Keep it off café tables, especially at sidewalk seating.
Use one earbud for walking directions so your eyes stay up.

If your phone is taken

Let it go. The UK's advice for any robbery is to hand over cash and valuables without resistance. A phone can be replaced. Get somewhere safe and borrow a phone or use your hotel's.

Call 911 if you're hurt or in danger. It's the police emergency number (101 also reaches police). For an ambulance, call 107.
Lock the phone remotely. Use Remote Lock at android.com/lock or Find Hub on Android, or Lost Mode in Find My on iPhone.
Block the line and handset. On an Argentine SIM, call *910. iProfesional (April 2026), quoting the government, says it works from any phone, for any carrier and plan, and cancels the line and blocks the handset. Reported IMEIs go into a database run by the telecom regulator ENACOM. On a U.S. or other foreign SIM, call your home carrier instead.
Freeze cards and change passwords, starting with email, banking and payment apps.
Report it. Your insurer will likely want a police report. The city's tourism site lists the Tourist Police station (Comisaría del Turista) at Av. Corrientes 436, with help in English, Portuguese, French, Italian and Japanese; call first to confirm. The UK lists the Tourist Police line as +54 911 5050 9260, 24 hours, also on WhatsApp. You can also report by calling 911 at any hour or online through the city police; the UK notes the police's online tourist site works only from inside Argentina. Ask for a copy of your report.
If your passport was taken too, contact your embassy or consulate.

For a step-by-step list that works anywhere, see what to do in the first 10 minutes after your phone is snatched. Heading to Brazil as well? Read our São Paulo and Rio guide.

The bottom line

By the city's own numbers, recorded robberies in Buenos Aires fell in 2025, and Argentina sits at the U.S. government's lowest advisory level. Phones are still a target at the curb, in crowds and around the big stations. Set up remote locking before you land, keep the phone close and out of sight, and if it happens, let it go and follow the steps above.

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