# My new cell phone was stolen yesturday. I'm an idiot. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 9, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892 "2013-12-09T14:59:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/41 "2013-12-10T13:31:15Z")
I am very sorry that this happened to you, but mostly I’m glad you weren’t injured. You should never meet a date in private, even though you are male, always meet in a public place. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/42 "2013-12-10T13:32:47Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I am very sorry that this happened to you, but mostly I’m glad you weren’t injured. You should never meet a date in private, even though you are male, always meet in a public place. Thank you. I like your screen name! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/43 "2013-12-10T14:17:43Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Thank you kayT, that’s really nice of you to say. I do agree with a lot of what people are saying. I really need to “grow up”. > > I just want to stress again that my parents are more involved in my life than most people my age because I seriously need the support. I have learning problems. The reason I care so much about my parents is because they WANT me to “man up”, and when shit like this happens, I feel like I’ve let them down. The speeding ticket and a few other things this month haven’t helped. I hope you know, it’s OK for you to keep things from your parents. Part of my journey from being a child to being an adult was making mistakes, fixing them, and THEN telling my mom about it. For example, I wouldn’t have told my mom anything about the situation you’re in, until a replacement phone had been purchased and she needed to have my new number. I know it’s harder when you’re living with them. But it is possible to establish stronger boundaries than you’re currently implementing. BTW, don’t listen to the shits giving you shit in this thread. It’s not your fault you were targeted by a thief. I’m a girl who has gotten into people’s cars on first dates many times, and I’ve never been victimized. Just internalize the lesson and don’t take it personally. I was targeted by the “be a secret shopper!” scam when I was 19 and lost about $250. I’m actually grateful for that, because it taught me a very valuable, not-too-expensive lesson early on in life. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/44 "2013-12-10T15:30:17Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > In my experience, police like a sure and easy thing just like the rest of us. My bike was stolen once and when I saw the stolen bike parked somewhere in a shopping district, I called the cops and they gleefully came to wait for the thief to unlock the bike so they could make an easy arrest. > > And bikes in the Netherlands are worth less then a phone in the US. Based on my expedience in Holland, I believe that it would work there. Based on my experience in the US combined with the OP’s actual experience in this specific case, you’ll get laughed out of the station unless it’s a small town and they happen to have nothing better to do. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/45 "2013-12-11T01:40:12Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Yes, it is called “Android Device Manager” and doesn’t require downloading or installing anything on the phone itself. > > From any browser on any computer with an active internet connection, simply log into the primary Gmail account assigned to your phone and then, in the URL field of your browser, type in: [https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager](https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager). If the phone is on, you will be shown exactly where your phone is on a map. hmmmm…this surely isn’t working for me… ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/46 "2013-12-11T01:48:49Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > hmmmm…this surely isn’t working for me… Caught me being stupid. Works like magic! ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/47 "2013-12-11T02:08:22Z")
You say that when you met her, you had a lot of trouble understanding her; did this also occur when you spoke to her on the phone? ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/48 "2013-12-11T02:21:45Z")
Well ya fucked up, guess what? We all do mate. Just learn from it and move on. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/49 "2013-12-11T02:25:21Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > …I’m becoming more independent, but at times like this, I feel like I need someone to be dissapointed in me for my recent actions. We’re here for ya, man! ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/50 "2013-12-11T02:58:40Z")
> [@digs](#): > > We’re here for ya, man! 😃 I love you guys! ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/51 "2013-12-11T04:43:12Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > If the phone is on, you will be shown exactly where your phone is on a map. Actually the phone is on but the data is turned off. Couldn’t find my phone. Turned on data and only after that did it find my phone. But my phone also announced it was being probed. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/52 "2013-12-11T04:50:29Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > There is a free app called AndroidLost that not only locates your phone on a map, but enables you to control any function of the phone remotely from any web enabled device- send/recieve texts, take pictures, turn the phone on, set off an alarm, wipe/lock data, you name it. It also does not have to be installed on the phone prior to being lost, it can be “pushed” to a lost phone and started remotely (the phone does have to be on for the push). > > Not shilling, but I did register my current phone and played with the online interface. It seems to work as described on the app store page. Cool app! Other good free apps for after-theft phone recovery are Lookout and Prey. Lookout will also help you if you can’t find your phone and the volume’s turned off - it makes it play a loud siren sound. Allowed a waitress at an Appleby’s find my daughter’s phone when she left it there with the volume turned off while visiting an out-of-state college. And if the phone’s battery is about to die, the app sends a locator signal just before it dies and you can then look up the location of it on the website. Always use a screen lock on your phone. It prevents butt-dialing and makes your phone harder to use if stolen. Lookout will take a photo and send the location of anyone who has 5 failed attempts to unlock the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/53 "2013-12-11T14:48:38Z")
Chin up OP - it’s not like it will happen again. In fact something similar just happened to my cousins kid. Brand new phone, taking a taxi home, agrees to share with some dude who then gets out of the cab, asks to borrow the phone to call someone, from outside the taxi - then runs off. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/54 "2013-12-11T14:50:15Z")
Yikes. Sorry to hear that **Bam Boo Gut**. And thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/55 "2013-12-11T18:52:42Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Yes. When we first talked on the phone I called her by mistake instead of texting her. I told her it was because I was still learning about the new phone I got. She asked what kind it was, and I told her. Tip for next time: don’t tell a stranger you’re meeting for the first time that you you’re carrying something so valuable, portable and easily fenced. Thieves love them some smartphones. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/56 "2013-12-11T23:19:34Z")
Nm ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/57 "2013-12-12T05:38:48Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Do you seriously think that the police are going to spend any time on this or give a shit at all about a cell phone? They have way more important things to do. As if they’re going to waste the valuable time of one or two cops to wait on a “trap” that may or may not happen set-up by a guy naive enough to lose his cell phone that way all to get a meaningless conviction for petty theft… I’m sure they won’t - but if she’s arrested on something else, and someone does some searching, they might connect her to outstanding charges like this. One can hope, at least. And MyFootsZZZ, I’m sorry your phone was stolen, and sorry you got victimized - OK, that sounds like the same thing, but it really is two things: your possession got stolen, AND you got taken advantage of and made to feel foolish. I had my Nook e-reader stolen a few months ago (foolishness on my part: took it with me to enjoy while relaxing at a water park, didn’t hide it well enough when I went to get lunch) and it still pisses me off. Not the reader itself, though I’m annoyed: the thief got a 2 year old outdated reader that is useless, but it was in a beautiful Oberon Design leather case that my husband had given me 3 months earlier and that I loved :(. So, while that’s not on the same level as your situation, it helps me understand how sad you are about it. Here’s hoping you can get the thing deactivated, and a hint: change all your passwords for all your online stuff. The thief might be able to use this for a nice bit of identity theft if she (or partners in crime) get into your email etc. from the phone. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/58 "2013-12-12T10:49:34Z")
Good advice **Mama Zappa**. I will do that now. I’m really sorry to read about what happened to you. It really sucks. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/59 "2013-12-12T17:24:14Z")
This is why all cell phones need to have one or all of the following; 1; integrated dye-pack designed to identify the thief with dye splatter 2; some form of stungun tech designed to shock the thief and stun them into unconsciousness 3; a high-volume, high-frequency “shrieker” alarm designed for maximum hearing damage and triggered when thief holds the stolen phone to their ear 4; a small charge of high explosives integrated into the phone chassis Any/all could be activated by calling a special secure number from another phone, or going to a secure webpage, entering the passcode number and confirming intent twice, then selecting which feature to activate I hate thieves… ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892/60 "2013-12-12T17:58:47Z")
MyFootsZZZ have you logged in and identified where your phone is? This earlier post on page one sounds like your best option. Did this work for you? That should be all you need for the cops to retrieve the phone. > [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Yes, it is called “Android Device Manager” and doesn’t require downloading or installing anything on the phone itself. > > From any browser on any computer with an active internet connection, simply log into the primary Gmail account assigned to your phone and then, in the URL field of your browser, type in: [https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager](https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager). If the phone is on, you will be shown exactly where your phone is on a map. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-cell-phone-was-stolen-yesturday-im-an-idiot/675892.md?page=4)