Burnaby RCMP is reminding the public that with warmer weather comes an increase in cellphone thefts and people should be vigilant when using the devices in public.
Cpl. Dave Reid of the Burnaby detachment said that criminals are opportunistic and if they notice someone engrossed in their phone they will often take that moment to grab it right out their hands.
"If you make yourself a victim, or appear like a victim, that's when these guys will move in and try and take your phone," he said.
In a notice to the public issued in May, police listed some common tricks used by thieves to nab the valuable electronic devices, including asking someone to use their phone to call for help.
"They'll use the excuse of 'hey, my friend's in trouble, he doesn't have any bus money, can we use your phone to call his sister?' ... and as soon as (they get it), boom, off they go," he said.
Other tactics used by thieves include asking someone to call 9-1-1 for them and when they pull their phone out the criminal will grab it and run, Reid added.
"It's pretty regular that these things happen," he said. "People just aren't maybe in tune with what's going on around them."
Most often the thieves will watch someone on their phone for a bit and judge how focused they are on the device. Most of the time people are too oblivious to what's happening around them to notice they're being watched, Reid said.
"And they just come scooping by and take their phone and off they run with it," he said.
When this happens, most people are too surprised by what's happened to get a description for the police. As well, it's very uncommon for police to recover the stolen cellphones as many of them are immediately traded for drugs, Reid added.
"They change hands very quickly," he said. "The phones are worth money to the dealers and they can use them and they're untraceable for a period of time."
For more tips visit the Burnaby RCMP website at burnaby.rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
