More Cell Phone Theft Reported on the 38-Geary
Photo by Eugene Kim
You already know that you shouldn’t brandish your phone on the bus, right? Well, that hasn’t stopped people from keeping their heads buried in their mobile devices while on Muni. Maybe Kaniko’s story will change your mind.
Kaniko sent us details of how her iPhone was grabbed out of her hands on Muni. This is the third report we’ve received about iPhone theft on the 38-Geary.
From Kaniko:
On Muni bus no. 38. outbound to the Richmond district (BUS#6422) around 4:20 p.m. on April 24, I was sitting by the door aboard a Muni coach when the bus stopped at Geary and Scott. A male suspect (young Affrican American) was walking to exit and pulled the iphone5 from my hands and ran off. I already reported to the police and blocked service but hopefully they can see the suspect’s face if they look at the video footage from the camera in the bus. This is happening a lot, so be aware to use your phone or other electronics on the bus because you never know who is watching and want to steal thing from you.
My stolen iphone5 details:
Model: Iphone5 16 GB
Color: Black
Service Carrier: Verizon
Serial No. F2LJDBBAF8H2
IMEI/IEID: 990002252913031
This is all too familiar, unfortunately. In December, a rider reported a stolen iPhone on the 38-Geary. In January, we had a thwarted iPhone theft on the 38L. SFPD released these images of alleged iPhone thieves on the J-Church, and Officer Matthew Friedman even asked for our help spreading the safety word. In March, SFMTA started a smart phone safety campaign as a reminder.
So remember: Keep those little fetish objects tucked away when you’re on the bus. And if you want to be extra cautious, try a mobile security service like Norton Mobile Security, McAfee WaveSecure, or Lookout. These apps can back up your data, make the phone scream in the thief’s hands, and even remotely lock and wipe out the data on your phone if it’s stolen.
If you have a security app recommendation, we’d love to hear about it in the comments, too.