Cellphone snatcher in Lynnwood strikes twice during lockdown
How can you protect yourself from a phone snatcher?
The crime is called 'apple picking', a slang word for cellphone thefts or robberies, and the crime is common practice, particularly during the lockdown.
Criminals snatch smartphones on the street and inside restaurants, and then resell them.
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This incident happened in Lynnwood in Pretoria. CCTV footage shows a few people sitting at the outside area of a restaurant. A man walks past, turns around, and grabs one smartphone and goes to grab a second one, before jumping into a white getaway vehicle.
Lynwood Pretoria. pic.twitter.com/I0PSrDmtdK
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) August 18, 2020
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How to mitigate the horror of having your phone snatched...
- Enable auto-lock
- Have a mobile tracking app installed
- Erase your personal data remotely
- Back up your smartphone data