Burner/Throw Phone?

[Craig_AR]

This post is inspired by the Carjacking thread.
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. Hey, I have a TON of stuff (financial, security, family privacy, etc.) on or connected to my phone. Should I start carrying a sacrificial phone to give up? It does not have to be live on a network, just turned on. Keeping an old phone when upgrading or buying a cheap burner and letting the account go dry could suffice.
The only drawback is how I carry both my real phone and the throw phone, in addition to all my other EDC.
Of course, this would also mean being very careful not to use my real phone in "transitional spaces."

 

[Old Dog]

Good question.

As a young sailor going out on liberty in often sketchy areas (okay, not often, but there may have been a couple times when fueled by testosterone and liquor, seeking a female of easy virture, I put myself at risk), I did carry an old wallet with only a few singles and a couple business cards in it, with my cash (before debit cards) and credit card(s) in a pouch inside my pants or in my boot.

That'd be a good use for my old phone, which can still be turned on and has a few innocuous, unidentifable photos stored in it, with no card.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

You can get them super cheap at Walmart, like $15-20. No need to even buy any service minutes for it. If you consider a mugging/carjacking a real possibility and have the carry space for it, why not.

 

[Blue Jays]

In my estimation it is too much trouble to wear/carry a duplicate extra wallet, an extra cellphone, an extra wristwatch, an extra wedding ring, and an extra key fob.

 

[bdickens]

You do have your phone locked with a PIN, or password right?

You should be able to set it so that everything is erased after a certain number of incorrect attempts.

 

[Speedo66]

Just leave an old phone in the center console if that's what you want to do.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

You do have your phone locked with a PIN, or password right?

You should be able to set it so that everything is erased after a certain number of incorrect attempts.

This right here. And, IIRC, the standard is either 5 or 10 attempts and the phone wipes itself. From what I've read and been told, low level bad guys don't care about your data; they just want to sell your phone. Their normal practice is to deliberately max out the failed attempts so they can jailbreak your phone and then sell it.

Heck, my plan, if it ever comes to it, is to just comply and give them what they want. Who cares about a petty thousand dollar phone in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Plan2Live]

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.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

They wouldn't want my flip phone lol.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Burner phone, burner wallet, burner shoes, burner car, burner money etc.

Please.

I'm not giving up anything.

If by some act of God they get the drop on me I'm going down shooting.

You guys do what you want.

 

[Speedo66]

They wouldn't want my flip phone lol.

Might have antique value...

 

[3Crows]

Would you think if they are brazen enough to jack a car and demand the wallet and phone that they might also demand the PIN? You might be able to slip out of the vehicle with the fob in your pocket so when they shut the car off it will not start again.

3C

 

[Anchorite]

My step son and I were in Ft Lauderdale last summer and had our rental car broken into. They took everything, including his lap-top.

All our electronics these days are backed up, so he was able to get a new lap-top thanks to insurance and everything was replaced. He has said that no one has ever turned on the stolen lap-top (I guess there is a way to track that), so 8 months later he’s not worried about it anymore.

I think I would not fret and not have a “bait” phone.

 

[entropy]

This post is inspired by the Carjacking thread.
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. Hey, I have a TON of stuff (financial, security, family privacy, etc.) on or connected to my phone. Should I start carrying a sacrificial phone to give up? It does not have to be live on a network, just turned on. Keeping an old phone when upgrading or buying a cheap burner and letting the account go dry could suffice.
The only drawback is how I carry both my real phone and the throw phone, in addition to all my other EDC.
Of course, this would also mean being very careful not to use my real phone in "transitional spaces."

Keep the 'throw' phone in the car. Most carjackings, by definition, occur at the vehicles. Wear a loose enough outer layer so 'your' phone isn't outlined by it. (Not like the younger set who wear skinny jeans in which I can tell what brand phone in in their back pocket) If they ask for the phone specifically, tell 'em it's in the door pocket or wherever you end up storing it.
You shouldn't be using a phone in a 'transitional' area anyway; it reduces situational awareness to nil.

 

[webrx]

if your cell is active, the police can trace it, can they trace an inactive burner - I don't know the answer to this one?

Assuming you don't go down shooting, then, maybe you get your car back if they can trace your cell.

d

 

[Craig_AR]

You shouldn't be using a phone in a 'transitional' area anyway; it reduces situational awareness to nil.

THIS.

 

[TRX]

You do have your phone locked with a PIN, or password right?

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.

 

[Howland937]

The only drawback

That's your only drawback? Come on...
If your significant other is anything like mine, you know this is a useless endeavor.
She has this innate ability to know exactly when I'm in the middle of something and without fail, would call my good phone while I'm trying to pawn off my junker. Then they'd get both.
No thanks.

 

[3Crows]

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.

Most people use facial recognition. The PIN is only a back up for when their C19 mask is on . I suspect if being car jacked and I try to hand off a "burner" phone that is a $15 flippie from Walmart and it is not even turned on the perp might just shoot me for being a cheapskate and not having an iPhone worthy of being jacked!

Do you think some perps might read these threads? Com'on man gimme your phone!

3C

 

[Blue Jays]

My anticipation is under extreme duress most people would fail to quickly and efficiently surrender their "burner" phone/wallet/keys/rings and might paradoxically make the "interaction" longer. Each second increases danger.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

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.

I do it.

And my phone locks after about 30 seconds of inactivity, too.

It's not that inconvenient. Annoying, sometimes, but I can live with that.

 

[luzyfuerza]

One man I know carries two phones, but not for any of the reasons mentioned here.

His are on two separate networks. He does this to increase his chances of connecting with 911 if he finds that he has to defend himself where cell service is spotty (a la Harold Fish?).

There is another benefit to having two phones: if a robber or carjacker gets away with one, you can still call 911 immediately with the other.

 

[Jim Watson]

I can imagine an app that, if you dialed your stolen phone and entered a code, the set would be bricked. No lost data, no value to a fence.
Phone insurance, anyone?

I can imagine other apps but they tend antisocial.

 

[westernrover]

I don't have a phone, keys, or a wallet and I would be pretty convincing to anyone to whom I had to explain that, but chances are they'd even know better than to ask.

A smartphone should not put your data at risk of loss. Besides robbery or burglary, it could just be misplaced or damaged. There is no reason to lose anything precious as a result. It's just an 'access terminal.' Your valuable data should be secured elsewhere with redundancy and geographic diversity. If your concern is data theft, well then the real muggers are the corporate goons that drive Teslas.

Any phone that has power is trackable. It's always receiving a GPS signal, and whether it does or not, it's connecting to the nearest cell tower the location of which is known. Even if there is no service contract, the radio still connects and emergency services (911) are available. For that to be possible, it has to register itself with the cell site which it does at regular periods whether a call is ever made or not. You can turn off bluetooth and wifi, and use airplane mode to turn off the cellular (CDMA, GSM, LTE etc.) radio, but otherwise, it's being tracked.

 

[westernrover]

Just because a phone could be tracked, doesn't mean the police or anyone else will do it. Maybe if you live in Mayberry, the Sheriff will track your burner phone that you left in the center console when your car was a victim of larceny -- if he knew how. Anywhere else, nobody cares. If the perp murdered a baby, then they'll track it. Just broke the window on your beemer? Fill out a report and pay your deductible. Next.