Cell Phone Muggings on the rise in SF (neighborhood, zoned)

[jade408]

This is the PSA of the day: put your smartphone away when you are walking around.

The truth is, the smart phone is the low-hanging fruit for roaming thugs. With debit cards in universal use, the average person isn't carrying much cash. The high-tech cell phone is probably the most valuable item you carry on the street.

"It's the modern day purse snatch - with better odds," said Obrochta. "With a purse, you never knew what you were getting."
Victims make it easy by walking down the street, holding out the phone while texting or searching for directions. "First, I am showing you that I have a nice fancy phone," said Brian Cooley, editor at large for Cnet. "And second, I am demonstrating that I do not have good situational awareness."

Read more: SF smart phone muggings on the rise (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/30/BADN1M67G8.DTL#ixzz1fJmRcBIj - broken link)

Usually I call BS on these things, but about 2 years ago I met a woman in my neighborhood who was a victim of this sort of crime, she was punched in the face. And last week I met another woman with a similar tale, but she was help up by gunpoint. (One woman was in her 20s or 30s. The other was in her 50s or 60s.)

Stay alert everyone!

[mayorhaggar]

I guess it's reality walking up and punching people in the face to remind them maybe they shouldn't be crossing the street while zoned in on a tiny screen.

But yeah, maybe wait until you get to your destination to check your probably irrelevant messages instead of doing it while strolling through the Tenderloin or walking down an empty street anywhere in SF at night.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

But yeah, maybe wait until you get to your destination to check your probably irrelevant messages instead of doing it while strolling through the Tenderloin or walking down an empty street anywhere in SF at night.

On day I saw a woman using an ipad as a GPS while walking. She stopped me to ask where something was. I thought: that is a crazy idea. This was about 3 months after ipads came out.

[Huckleberry3911948]

its part of the digital age false sense of security if you are on the cell phone u r not alone, captain pecard will beam down an away team to beat up the muggers if they get too close.

[mayorhaggar]

oh god

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

its part of the digital age false sense of security

False sense of reality, false sense of invincibility, grandiose narcissism, gross lack of common sense. Must be quite the shock when all these come crashing down at once. That little gadget can become quite the crack rock, yes?

[BayAreaHillbilly]

I have an "device" that looks just like an iPhone ... it has 9mm ammo ...

Just kidding, but someone will do it.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

I have an "device" that looks just like an iPhone ... it has 9mm ammo ...

Just kidding, but someone will do it.

Maxwell Smart would already have one, causing great worry for Agent 99.