Burner/Throw Phone?

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I did it when I delivered pizzas Friday nights several years ago. It was for the robbery scenario, as no one was going to boost me for my truck. Not only was it an old, rusted, five-speed stick shift, its first two gears were so low that one could chase it on foot the first 15 seconds or so.

Now? Yeah, I've considered it, and have plenty of extra phones, including an old slider that actually still does have service (my daughter's old phone; she's since been upgraded.) Leaving it in the vehicle and telling a robber that that's where it is isn't a bad idea.

In an episode of "Longmire", the lead character is handing over the keys to his truck to a suspect to free a hostage, and the suspect demands his phone as well. Sheriff Longmire, who doesn't even own a cellphone, replies "it's in the truck", which the criminal accepts. Longmire knows that he wouldn't be believed if he'd said he didn't have one. Keep that in mind if you're one of those here who proudly proclaims you don't have a cellphone. Telling a robber you don't have one may get you "worked over" a bit more by someone who doesn't believe you. Robbers have shot their victims for not having enough (or any) money, or even because the vehicle being taken ended up being one they didn't know how to drive.
 
My wife had her cell phone stolen from her bag at her work.

Because the phone was on, we were able to use the tracking on it to find out that it was taken to one of those "cell your old phone" kiosks at a grocery store. We called the police and were able to get in contact with the company that owns the machine and recover it. She did have the passcode protection on it as well as biometric protection enabled. The suspect was caught on CCTV cameras at her work location and was apprehended. A proper end to the story and a felony as her phone at the time was over $1000 in value.

I don't think I'm so much worried about a burner phone for a decoy as I would be for having something to call for assistance in an emergency situation. That's what I'd use the burner for if ever the main phone was down or was surrendered.

I'm not one that values materialism over life. If someone has the drop on me and they want my phone and wallet - then kudos to them for getting through my situational awareness and they can have those things that can be replaced or is insured.
Life is worth defensing, always.
 
If somebody(s) is demanding (they are armed is implied) I do whatever I'm gonna be busy trying to stop (incapacitate) them before they can injure or kill me.
 
I think I would be planning my next move instead of worrying about my cell phone. I also try and keep my situational awareness way up to avoid this kind of thing. People and places equal different types of awareness. That's why I carry...
 
Wonder what happens if you tell the would-be robber "Yes, here's my phone. You're being streamed live on Facebook right now, so you may want to close the camera app"
 
Craig_VA said:
In a number of carjacking incidents, (and street robberies, also) the miscreants demand not only the keys and wallet, but also the victim's phone.
Click to expand...

Well then, you need a burner wallet, burner phone, burner keys, and you might as well wear a burner watch and burner anything else of value. Just carry two of everything.
 
Double Naught Spy said:
you might as well wear a burner watch
Click to expand...
I have an alarm clock next to my bed. I bought my first new vehicle in 1982. Every vehicle I've owned since then has had a clock inside, either on the dash or on the radio display or both. during the late 70s, 80s, 90s and into the 2000s virtually every bank I drove past had a time and temp sign out by the road. Every inside job I've held has had a clock on the wall. For as long as I can remember, my cablevision converter box has a clock on it. Every microwave oven I've owned since around 1988 has had a clock built in. Every kitchen range I've owned since around 1988 has had a working clock on it. Fast forward to the computer era, every computer monitor I've sat in front of has had a clock visible in the display. Every cellphone I've ever owned has displayed the time. In short, I can see a clock from virtually anywhere I am standing, sitting or working. I personally haven't owned or worn a watch in at least 4 decades.
 
The police track phones all the time. Get a warrant and the location data you get back is unreal. They get EVERYTHING.
 
I've read of instances where the muggers threw the 'old phone' down on the dirt again - they dont want old **** like that, they cant get anything for it.
 
Plan2Live said:
I personally haven't owned or worn a watch in at least 4 decades.
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Good for you!

I haven't worn one for about 15 years now, myself.

It was a testosterone-driven solution to a problem that got on my nerves one time too many, and I'm happy to say my solution worked like a charm.

I had a habit of looking at my watch any time someone mentioned a date or time in a conversation and for some reason this REALLY got on my wife's nerves.

One day while in the kitchen helping my wife with something, we were discussing some upcoming event. I reflexively glanced at my watch and she went ballistic.

"What are you looking at your watch for? It doesn't have a calendar! You don't know what day of the week this is going to be!"

(Never mind I can tell at a glance at the date how to figure out all that info in my head.)

I had had enough of this behavior, so while she was ranting I stripped my watch off, tossed it in the kitchen trash can, and walked out of the kitchen.

Later when I came back, my watch was sitting on the kitchen counter. Where it stayed for a year or so.

One day it showed up in my car. Where it stayed. When I got another car, it magically found its way into it. Where it stayed.

In 15 years since that day, not ONCE has my wife had occasion to blown her stack over me looking at my watch.

I count this a success.

I'm through with wearing a watch. The only way I'll ever wear a watch again is if she buys me one.

Now that you're done laughing, I'll relate this story to this thread:

There's no way anybody will be able to rob me of my watch.

;)
 
Plan2Live said:
I have an alarm clock next to my bed. I bought my first new vehicle in 1982. Every vehicle I've owned since then has had a clock inside, either on the dash or on the radio display or both. during the late 70s, 80s, 90s and into the 2000s virtually every bank I drove past had a time and temp sign out by the road. Every inside job I've held has had a clock on the wall. For as long as I can remember, my cablevision converter box has a clock on it. Every microwave oven I've owned since around 1988 has had a clock built in. Every kitchen range I've owned since around 1988 has had a working clock on it. Fast forward to the computer era, every computer monitor I've sat in front of has had a clock visible in the display. Every cellphone I've ever owned has displayed the time. In short, I can see a clock from virtually anywhere I am standing, sitting or working. I personally haven't owned or worn a watch in at least 4 decades.
Click to expand...

While that is great and all, the point is to question just how much "burner" stuff do you carry on you? Do you have a burner version for everything of value on you? Where does one carry all the additional stuff?
 
The only phone that I carry was issued to me by my city.
I pretty much only use it for job-related activities or for health-related problems.
Yeah, I'm a bit of an antisocial Luddite.
If a thief wants to get the attention of the city then that's his or her problem.
 
Plan2Live said:
There's another option, do like I do, use your cellphone as well....a phone.

61 years on this earth and I have yet to need to have gadgets and gizmos connected to my cellphone. Convenience comes with a price.
Click to expand...
This. I have a smart phone and an older flip phone, and I don't routinely carry either of them. (Actually, when used simply to make and receive calls, I find the simple flip phone easier to use.) And, I don't save anything important on the phones.

Seeing young people with their noses constantly buried in their phones is troubling to me. Not only is this antisocial behavior, but it's stupid as well. They're depriving themselves of situational awareness, and making themselves easy marks for muggers.
 
I usually carry two iPhones; one with Verizon service, and the other with AT&T. The immediate reason is because each of these service providers has service gaps, in areas where I go. Before I retired, one was for general use, on and off the clock, while the other was a number only provided to close friends and family. If one is lost or stolen, I can use my remaining iPhone to put the other into a lost mode, or, erase it. Neither is intentionally a “burner” phone, but, either could be intentionally sacrificed, as deemed necessary.

Edited to add: One iPhone can track another, on the same user’s Apple account, with the “Find My iPhone” app. The usual cautions about D-I-Y recovering of one’s stolen/lost property do, of course, apply. Notably, the location accuracy has been improving, over the years, but let’s keep on mind that it can be off, by some distance.
 
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Rexster said:
I usually carry two iPhones; one with Verizon service, and the other with AT&T.
Click to expand...
My smartphone has slots for two different SIMs, so you can switch back and forth between providers. But, I bought it from an independent store, not from a phone service provider. Phone service providers sell "locked" phones that you can only use for their service. They will usually "unlock" them only after you have been with them for at least a year, and have the phone fully paid for.

It's worth getting an "unlocked" phone with multiple SIM slots, especially if you travel.
 
Craig_VA said:
Of course, this would also mean being very careful not to use my real phone in "transitional spaces."
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You shouldn't be on your phone in a transitional space anyway.

My phone is a Walmart Family Mobile Samsung. It's already a burner phone.
 
TRX said:
From what I've seen in meatspace, nobody does that except me. People look at me like I'm nut when I unlock mine before using it.

I guess it's in their hand almost all the time, texting, tweeting, facebooking, or playing games, so they don't see any reason to luck their phones.
Click to expand...

I have a lock on my phone. It's also set to turn off after a minute of. Inactivity
 
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