Thummer

By Michael Harlow · Published November 9, 2026 · About 6 minutes to read

Phone Theft in Lisbon: A Traveler's Guide (2026)

The yellow tram groans up the hill, the car is packed shoulder to shoulder, and you raise your phone to film the view. That is exactly the kind of moment Lisbon's pickpockets count on. Here's what the official figures show, how thefts happen, and what to do in the first minutes if your phone is taken.

How big is the problem?

The U.S. State Department's Portugal country page says crimes of opportunity such as pickpocketing and purse snatching are common, particularly at popular tourist sites, in restaurants and on public transportation. The UK government tells visitors to be alert to street crime and take care on public transport and at crowded bus and tram stops.

Portugal's Annual Internal Security Report (RASI), published in March 2026, counted 7,443 reported pickpocket thefts in 2025, up 7.7% from 6,910 in 2024. The Lisbon district had 46% of them, three in four of those in the city itself, with July and December the busiest months.

Snatch robbery on the street (roubo por esticão) is rarer and fell: the same report counted 2,017 cases in 2025, down 7.3%, with more than 60% in the Lisbon, Porto and Setúbal districts, and it names phones among the items taken. Overall reported crime rose 3.1% in 2025 while violent and serious crime fell 1.6%, and the government says the country remains safe overall.

The PSP, the national police force that patrols Lisbon, keeps its own count: 6,153 pickpocketing incidents in 2025, about 17 a day, and 2,867 complaints from January through May 2026, 212 more than a year earlier. In September 2026, the head of the PSP's Lisbon command linked pickpocketing partly to tourism growth and to itinerant international groups, and reported significant drops in street and snatch robberies. None of these figures separates phones from wallets and bags.

Where and how phones are taken

Tram 28. The State Department names it directly: pickpockets use the crowds getting on and off all forms of public transportation, "such as the popular Tram 28, using the jostling of the crowd as a distraction." The push to board at the stops is the moment to watch.

Doors on trains and buses. The same page advises against standing near the doors, because thieves often strike just as they open and then dash onto the platform. A phone held loosely near the door is an easy grab.

Around the castle. In April 2026, the PSP arrested six suspected pickpockets in two days in the Santa Maria Maior parish, near Castelo de São Jorge, and asked people to take extra care in areas with heavy tourist traffic.

Inside shops. On the night of July 26, 2026, in the same parish, a man took a woman's phone inside a bookstore, the PSP said. Officers on patrol nearby arrested him and recovered it; a second man with him was carrying the phone's SIM card.

Café tables and nightlife. Restaurants are on the State Department's list, and a phone left on a terrace table is easy to lift. The UK says attacks are rare but the risk is highest late at night around popular nightlife locations, and advises buying your own drinks and keeping them in sight.

Teams and distraction. A PSP officer told Portuguese media that pickpockets often work in groups of three or four: one or two distract you, another takes the item, and a fourth may wait in a car. The UK also warns that thieves use distraction techniques and often work in teams.

Habits that help

  1. Set up your phone before you fly. On Android, go to Settings > Google > All services > Theft protection and turn on Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock and Remote Lock; features vary by phone. On iPhone, turn on Find My and Stolen Device Protection (iOS 17.3 or later). Our Android theft protection guide walks through each setting.
  2. Write down your IMEI. Dial *#06# and keep the number off the phone, with your bank's and carrier's international numbers.
  3. Board Tram 28 with your phone put away. The PSP advises not carrying phones or wallets in visible places or in outer pockets, using inside pockets and wearing a backpack on your front. Film once you're seated, or from the street.
  4. Step back from the doors on the Metro, trains and buses, and don't scroll as they open.
  5. Keep the phone off café tables, especially on terraces facing the street.
  6. Split your valuables. The UK advises not carrying all your valuables in one place. Keep a backup card and some cash apart from your phone.
  7. Add a layer for the unlocked moment. Built-in locks are the place to start. Some travelers also add an app such as Thummer, one option among several, which locks an unlocked Android phone within five seconds if it's pulled from your hand.

If your phone is taken

Don't resist or chase. A phone can be replaced. Get somewhere safe, then borrow a phone or find Wi-Fi. Our first 10 minutes guide has the full checklist.

  1. Call 112 if you're in danger. It's Portugal's number for police, ambulance and fire.
  2. Lock the phone remotely. Use Find Hub or Google's Remote Lock. It must have been turned on beforehand and needs an active SIM in the phone; an offline phone locks once it reconnects. On iPhone, put it in Lost Mode as quickly as possible.
  3. Call your bank to freeze cards, then change your email and banking passwords from a trusted device. Here's why speed matters.
  4. Block the SIM. Call your carrier to suspend the line and ask whether it can block the phone's IMEI.
  5. Report it to the PSP Tourism Police. Visit Lisboa lists a station on Praça dos Restauradores (213 421 623, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and one at Santa Apolónia (218 804 030); the Restauradores office is in the Palácio Foz building. Ask for a copy of the report for insurance.
  6. Or report online. The Queixa Eletrónica portal accepts theft reports from foreigners present in Portugal, but it's in Portuguese and its sign-in options are mostly Portuguese ID tools, so most visitors will find it easier to go in person.
  7. If your passport was taken, contact your embassy. The U.S. Embassy is on Avenida das Forças Armadas; check its contact page for current emergency numbers.

The bottom line

Reported pickpocketing in Portugal rose in 2025, and the Lisbon district has the largest share. Watch your phone on Tram 28, at transit doors, around the castle and at café tables. Set up remote locking before you land, keep your phone put away in the crush, and if it happens, let it go and follow the steps above. Traveling on through Iberia? Read our guides to Madrid and Barcelona.