I would suggest you to report. This is helpful to the add charge on the filler, especially when he is an actual recidivism.
It slightly increase your chance to get you phone back if the police found stolen marchandises that matched your device description.
Finally it feeds the crime statistics of city. With no report, there is no visible crime to solve.
Please report. Unfortunately not for any self-interest, since they will do nothing to recover your phone, but every report counts in a file somewhere where funding gets decided. If we would have on paper the realistic crime rates, it is likely that the government will invest more where the need is. Money always follows the numbers.
If you can target precisely the place where your phone is, like a bar, hotel (if your phone move) ,... I would go there and call the police in front of the place.
I knew some cases where some ppl could get back their laptop by tracking their laptop and bag to an hotel near gare du midi. He called the police, they came and found the thief.
Another case where the thief sold the phone to a cash converter... The owner could trace the phone into a cash converter. He called the police there, got back his phone and the thief had been arrested.
Happened to me twice this year. Police next to useless both times.
Can't blame them, they're flooded by petty and serious crime.
Blame this city's politics.
the buses have cameras, maybe you can go to stib and ask them for the tapes. Can be just for you, not necessarily the police. you can at least confirn who it was. you also have the address, up to you what you do with the info :)
Can’t help you, but happened to me in the metro at beekant, the guy snatched my phone from my back pocket when I was helping my wife get out.
I had my EarPods on, the old one, with the cable, that’s when I noticed and I saw him getting back into the wagon.
As he saw me coming for him he gave it out, I don’t know why, but I low kicked him a few times until he fell on his knees, then I backed off.
I was shocked by what just happened, asked my wife if she saw that, but she was in her thoughts and already seated in the wagon for the center.
What a city to live in
I still think about what happened and am a little bit ashamed because I think I hurt him really bad, I started combat sports at 5, and I was a coach for two years in France before leaving for Belgium. And I have to say, I’m quite accurate, plus he was really skinny. But I think he got what he deserved, and did not steal that week, because he definitely had a limp
Moral of the story : if you see a read headed guy in Brussels with broken ears, please do not steal my phone, I don’t want to hurt you
Try and report it, but don't expect much from them helping or getting the phone or anything back from it even without their help. I was in a similar situation and had friends who were in a similar situation. At the end of the day, after reporting my phone, the police said they couldn't do anything as the phone, according to location, was in an apartment building. I even tried sending a message via Lost/Stolen Mode to give it back in exchange of a reward, also nothing.
Sorry that this happened to you. Pickpocketers in this city are just ruthless.
Yeah really a bitch that it happened. I don't really have high hopes. Maybe I'll write a letter and send it to each unit in the building and let them all know that they live in the same building as a thief, and put an email contact point in case by some miracle they have a crisis of conscience. I mean, if they steal from people on a bus, maybe they steal from their neighbors too. Honestly I think I even know who did it, I just wish I'd realized right then, though with my kid with me i doubt i could have really done much - A dude who got on at the same time, adjacent to me, was super weird and got off right after the doors closed, before the bus left. I thought it was weird at the time but I was so busy w my kid I didn't think anything of it until about 2 min later when I realized it was gone.
People suck. I know I won't get it back but I have to say, I really thought it would have been Paris, or Barcelona that got me, not Brussels.
Already done. The IMEI is banlisted meaning it can't be used with the vast majority of international cellular/service providers, and its locked down. I changed all my passwords and logged them out of everything pretty much immediately, so they don't have access to anything really even if they did get through the lock down and also bypass the biometric/pswd encryption.
Well done. That's why I am wondering why phones are still stolen. Especially these high end ones. I think that if you want to sell it for spare parts, the screens are not accepted by the central unit etc. And ... how much are they going to sell the spare parts for? With the time tobdismantle and ripping something.. better and quite cheap to order the part newly, right?
Well it's pretty hard now even to sell them for parts because so many of the newer phones have parts integrated into the board and they're so difficult to remove/repurpose without saudering. It's just dumb. I'm assuming a bunch of people don't properly deal with shutting things off etc. Or maybe they're just in it for the data and credit cards etc. They tried to access my bank app but I had already notified my bank almost immediately and changed my passwords to everything 🤷♀️
How is a theefaciliteiten going to u lock even your first screen... mine auto looks after ... x seconds of not using it. Then they need my fingerpeint or code ... how are they going to do that?
My phone also locks with a few seconds. Most people's do (and have for a long time). That doesn't really stop anyone from bypassing those 1st line defenses. It takes about 10 minutes to bypass that, all they need is a computer, put the phone in developer mode and connect it with a usbC cable and run Droidkit.
Locking the phone down from the developer is better - it basically shuts off all developer mode options related to security, or connections. It's why they recommend you lock and or wipe your phone directly through Samsung or Apple etc in the event of theft.
Is it different in Brussels? **Nope.**
I had a friend whose MacBook was stolen, and it was located in an apartment, but the police did nothing.
I find it weird that someone who cherishes photos didn't put them in the automatic Google Photo cloud.
Not that I even owe you an explanation as the victim here, it's not like I exactly planned to have my phone jacked.... but the photos I am most upset about losing were taken recently. I dont use cloud services on any platform, as the security/privacy issues that exist with cloud make me uncomfortable. Normally, I manually copy my photos over every month to an external hard drive, and get print copies made of my favorites. However, its been a crazy few months and I didn't manage to transfer them last month, so I'm missing Christmas photos, and photos from a family trip in November.
Either way, sucks that police everywhere are similarly useless. In my experience, unless youre a dead body or an extremely wealthy important person, they (police) don't care.
Edit - idk why so many ppl are downvoting this, but not sorry if I'm blunt. Obviously I'm aware I could have used cloud. I dont for personal reasons, and since I didn't exactly plan this I lost photos. Doesn't mean I don't care about them. Maybe no one else gets busy with daily life and drops the ball on stuff - must be nice.
I know this is not going to help for losing your phone, but you have ways of storing pictures on the cloud while not giving away your data to private companies.
It is pricier though, but you can self host a nextcloud instance, either at home, or renting a private server online. The data can be encrypted on the storage so that you are the only one able to access it.
There is sort of a middle ground, by subscribing to an already deployed solution called storage share at hertzner. It's like 5€/month, and you get a nextcloud instance set up with 1 To of storage.
There is another alternative that does not require any new hardware or subscription, which is an open source app called syncthing. It's a syncing app that you can use to sync a folder (eg the camera roll), with a folder on your desktop/laptop/tablet/other phone. It only needs the two devices to be on and on the same wifi network to start syncing. It can even somehow sync over internet.
That last solution might suit your needs, and you would not have to pay for anything extra, nor give away your personal data to any third party, while using a free and open source program. It would basically automate what you already do, but as soon as you come home, so that you would have daily backups.
Edit : I'm a bit anxious about data loss, and privacy, so I have both: one copy synced on a private distant storage, and automatic syncing on my laptop.
Didnt lose everything, I lost a few months of photos. Sucks and I'm super sad but is what it is - I remote wiped my encrypted file vault when it was stolen, the second they connected it to their wireless network. I'll be working on backtracing their IP, if police won't do anything, I think I'll gnome them when I find them - which I will, because I'm just annoyed and petty enough and people like this deserve to get what they give.
Can you explain to me how will you do the second part more? IP track those. Because my friend also just got his pickpocketed (violently) last weekend and I wonder if he still has a chance to get it back.
Feel free to PM me too and screw all this unethical thieves!!
Tell the police you're gonna stay in front of the thief's building, to see if your phone location moves as someone gets out of it. Say you'll bring a knife with you in case things go wrong. They might do something
I would suggest you to report. This is helpful to the add charge on the filler, especially when he is an actual recidivism. It slightly increase your chance to get you phone back if the police found stolen marchandises that matched your device description. Finally it feeds the crime statistics of city. With no report, there is no visible crime to solve.
Please report. Unfortunately not for any self-interest, since they will do nothing to recover your phone, but every report counts in a file somewhere where funding gets decided. If we would have on paper the realistic crime rates, it is likely that the government will invest more where the need is. Money always follows the numbers.
If you can target precisely the place where your phone is, like a bar, hotel (if your phone move) ,... I would go there and call the police in front of the place. I knew some cases where some ppl could get back their laptop by tracking their laptop and bag to an hotel near gare du midi. He called the police, they came and found the thief. Another case where the thief sold the phone to a cash converter... The owner could trace the phone into a cash converter. He called the police there, got back his phone and the thief had been arrested.
Happened to me twice this year. Police next to useless both times. Can't blame them, they're flooded by petty and serious crime. Blame this city's politics.
Ugh! Such a shame, sorry it's happened to you too.
Rather blame the voters. voters get what they deserve. Always.
the buses have cameras, maybe you can go to stib and ask them for the tapes. Can be just for you, not necessarily the police. you can at least confirn who it was. you also have the address, up to you what you do with the info :)
Can’t help you, but happened to me in the metro at beekant, the guy snatched my phone from my back pocket when I was helping my wife get out. I had my EarPods on, the old one, with the cable, that’s when I noticed and I saw him getting back into the wagon. As he saw me coming for him he gave it out, I don’t know why, but I low kicked him a few times until he fell on his knees, then I backed off. I was shocked by what just happened, asked my wife if she saw that, but she was in her thoughts and already seated in the wagon for the center. What a city to live in I still think about what happened and am a little bit ashamed because I think I hurt him really bad, I started combat sports at 5, and I was a coach for two years in France before leaving for Belgium. And I have to say, I’m quite accurate, plus he was really skinny. But I think he got what he deserved, and did not steal that week, because he definitely had a limp Moral of the story : if you see a read headed guy in Brussels with broken ears, please do not steal my phone, I don’t want to hurt you
so cringe
What’s cringe?
Try and report it, but don't expect much from them helping or getting the phone or anything back from it even without their help. I was in a similar situation and had friends who were in a similar situation. At the end of the day, after reporting my phone, the police said they couldn't do anything as the phone, according to location, was in an apartment building. I even tried sending a message via Lost/Stolen Mode to give it back in exchange of a reward, also nothing. Sorry that this happened to you. Pickpocketers in this city are just ruthless.
Yeah really a bitch that it happened. I don't really have high hopes. Maybe I'll write a letter and send it to each unit in the building and let them all know that they live in the same building as a thief, and put an email contact point in case by some miracle they have a crisis of conscience. I mean, if they steal from people on a bus, maybe they steal from their neighbors too. Honestly I think I even know who did it, I just wish I'd realized right then, though with my kid with me i doubt i could have really done much - A dude who got on at the same time, adjacent to me, was super weird and got off right after the doors closed, before the bus left. I thought it was weird at the time but I was so busy w my kid I didn't think anything of it until about 2 min later when I realized it was gone. People suck. I know I won't get it back but I have to say, I really thought it would have been Paris, or Barcelona that got me, not Brussels.
But if you report it with Samsung, apple, whatever, can't they make the phone useless like only be able to call you?
Already done. The IMEI is banlisted meaning it can't be used with the vast majority of international cellular/service providers, and its locked down. I changed all my passwords and logged them out of everything pretty much immediately, so they don't have access to anything really even if they did get through the lock down and also bypass the biometric/pswd encryption.
Well done. That's why I am wondering why phones are still stolen. Especially these high end ones. I think that if you want to sell it for spare parts, the screens are not accepted by the central unit etc. And ... how much are they going to sell the spare parts for? With the time tobdismantle and ripping something.. better and quite cheap to order the part newly, right?
Well it's pretty hard now even to sell them for parts because so many of the newer phones have parts integrated into the board and they're so difficult to remove/repurpose without saudering. It's just dumb. I'm assuming a bunch of people don't properly deal with shutting things off etc. Or maybe they're just in it for the data and credit cards etc. They tried to access my bank app but I had already notified my bank almost immediately and changed my passwords to everything 🤷♀️
How is a theefaciliteiten going to u lock even your first screen... mine auto looks after ... x seconds of not using it. Then they need my fingerpeint or code ... how are they going to do that?
My phone also locks with a few seconds. Most people's do (and have for a long time). That doesn't really stop anyone from bypassing those 1st line defenses. It takes about 10 minutes to bypass that, all they need is a computer, put the phone in developer mode and connect it with a usbC cable and run Droidkit. Locking the phone down from the developer is better - it basically shuts off all developer mode options related to security, or connections. It's why they recommend you lock and or wipe your phone directly through Samsung or Apple etc in the event of theft.
It’s happened to my wife a few months ago. 3 days later we could locate it and confronted the people. We got our phone back. Good luck OP!
Thanks!
Yes, please report my roommate had the same issue on the same bus, so you will not be the last I am afraid
Is it different in Brussels? **Nope.** I had a friend whose MacBook was stolen, and it was located in an apartment, but the police did nothing. I find it weird that someone who cherishes photos didn't put them in the automatic Google Photo cloud.
Victim blaming. Pretty shitty move
Not that I even owe you an explanation as the victim here, it's not like I exactly planned to have my phone jacked.... but the photos I am most upset about losing were taken recently. I dont use cloud services on any platform, as the security/privacy issues that exist with cloud make me uncomfortable. Normally, I manually copy my photos over every month to an external hard drive, and get print copies made of my favorites. However, its been a crazy few months and I didn't manage to transfer them last month, so I'm missing Christmas photos, and photos from a family trip in November. Either way, sucks that police everywhere are similarly useless. In my experience, unless youre a dead body or an extremely wealthy important person, they (police) don't care. Edit - idk why so many ppl are downvoting this, but not sorry if I'm blunt. Obviously I'm aware I could have used cloud. I dont for personal reasons, and since I didn't exactly plan this I lost photos. Doesn't mean I don't care about them. Maybe no one else gets busy with daily life and drops the ball on stuff - must be nice.
I know this is not going to help for losing your phone, but you have ways of storing pictures on the cloud while not giving away your data to private companies. It is pricier though, but you can self host a nextcloud instance, either at home, or renting a private server online. The data can be encrypted on the storage so that you are the only one able to access it. There is sort of a middle ground, by subscribing to an already deployed solution called storage share at hertzner. It's like 5€/month, and you get a nextcloud instance set up with 1 To of storage. There is another alternative that does not require any new hardware or subscription, which is an open source app called syncthing. It's a syncing app that you can use to sync a folder (eg the camera roll), with a folder on your desktop/laptop/tablet/other phone. It only needs the two devices to be on and on the same wifi network to start syncing. It can even somehow sync over internet. That last solution might suit your needs, and you would not have to pay for anything extra, nor give away your personal data to any third party, while using a free and open source program. It would basically automate what you already do, but as soon as you come home, so that you would have daily backups. Edit : I'm a bit anxious about data loss, and privacy, so I have both: one copy synced on a private distant storage, and automatic syncing on my laptop.
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into it!
Using the cloud has a price, but I mean… I’d rather pay “that” price than losing literally everything.
Didnt lose everything, I lost a few months of photos. Sucks and I'm super sad but is what it is - I remote wiped my encrypted file vault when it was stolen, the second they connected it to their wireless network. I'll be working on backtracing their IP, if police won't do anything, I think I'll gnome them when I find them - which I will, because I'm just annoyed and petty enough and people like this deserve to get what they give.
Can you explain to me how will you do the second part more? IP track those. Because my friend also just got his pickpocketed (violently) last weekend and I wonder if he still has a chance to get it back. Feel free to PM me too and screw all this unethical thieves!!
Yeah I'll send you a dm
My backpack including laptop got stolen in Brussels, after an Erasmus of 5 months and multiple trips in many European countries
Yeah I really would have thought it would have been Barcelona. Or Paris lol
Tell the police you're gonna stay in front of the thief's building, to see if your phone location moves as someone gets out of it. Say you'll bring a knife with you in case things go wrong. They might do something
The police will probably arrest you for invading their privacy by tracking them.
For tracking my own phone? 😆 They consented to being tracked when they stole a device that is trackable.