Heading to a concert or music festival? Some tips on keeping your phone from getting stolen

Music festivals and concerts are a great way to dance the night away and disconnect from the daily grind — until you get your phone stolen.

Southern California is home to many major music festivals that draw in thousands of people from across the country, including Escape Halloween in San Bernardino this weekend.

But these events also attract people who are just looking to swipe your cell phone.

What’s going on?

At this year’s Coachella, Indio Police recovered nearly 50 stolen phones. After Escape Halloween a few years ago, Downey Police recovered more than 90 phones, according to NBC4.

And this isn’t just a SoCal issue — the Orlando Police Department recovered a backpack full of dozens of phones stolen from a festival in 2022. In Las Vegas this year, three men were arrested for allegedly stealing 33 phones. KTNV Las Vegas reported that the phones were put in bags lined with an electromagnetic material to block cell signals.

How it can happen

Kim Seeley learned the hard way about how quickly a phone can go missing in August when she was visiting Los Angeles from Denver, Colorado, for a music festival.

“I don't think it was more than like a minute or two from when I, like, put it in my pocket to when I realized it was gone,” she told LAist.

Seeley slipped her phone into a pocket instead of the fanny pack dangling across her chest — a critical mistake.

“[I] took some pictures of the group, and when we all were giving each other our phones back, I was like, wait, does somebody have my phone, because it's not here,” she said. “And I realized that it was gone at that point.”

Although Seeley was standing in an open space, she remembered a group of people briefly walking past her.

And sometimes, that’s all it takes.

She tried to pull up the location on her partner’s Find My iPhone app. But it was too late, the phone was put on airplane mode, never to be seen again.

Mollie Sreden was a little more lucky.

She was at a CRSSD afterparty at a nightclub in San Diego, with only a phone and ID secured in her crossbody purse. She tried to make sure it stayed closed tight in between uses.

“I don't think I felt the person, but a gut feeling, like, told me to look down,” she told LAist. “I looked down and my phone wasn't there, and my stomach dropped.”

She started looking on the ground and at the people around her, until she noticed the woman in front of her drop something — Sreden’s phone.

She felt “violated” and angrily confronted the woman before the woman slipped deeper into the crowd.

“There were, unfortunately, a lot of missing phones reported from that club that night,” she said.

How to protect yourself

No one wants to get their phone stolen, but you also don’t want to feel paranoid.

As someone with years of experience attending lots of live events, here’s some tested tips and tricks for keeping your valuables where they belong.

Make yourself a tougher target:

• Do not put your phone in your pockets, especially your back ones, even for a minute. 
• Invest in a phone leash or lanyard. ClutchLoop is a popular brand and has previously partnered with music festivals like Lost Lands.
• Put a small, simple lock on your backpack or bag, at least on the pocket with your phone and wallet.

Gear that could better keep your phone safe:

• Running belts are a convenient way of keeping your valuables out of sight, and they can usually be layered under almost any outfit.
• Lunchbox’s anti-theft hydration packs are pricey, but can give you peace of mind.
• But you also don’t need to invest in anything fancy, throw a fanny pack or crossbody bag across your chest with the zipper facing towards you.
• And layer a jacket or pashmina on top of any pockets carrying something valuable.

Adjust your phone settings before you arrive.

• Phones are often put on airplane mode almost immediately after being stolen to make them harder to track, as Seeley saw. But you can put a wrench in those plans by limiting access to the control center on your lock screen.
  
  • Instructions for iPhones
  • Instructions for Androids
• iPhone users can also enable stolen device protection settings.
• Just in case, backup your photos and any irreplaceable memories on a separate device before you leave home.

Check your surroundings

• If a group of people suddenly push past you in an otherwise open space, or you notice someone standing a little too close for comfort, pay attention to their hands. 

If you do end up losing your phone

• Mark it as stolen with your carrier or company, but don’t try to hunt it down on your own. 
• If you start getting strange, spam, or threatening texts on your replacement, do not respond or click any links. Ignore, block, repeat.

Now, none of these are foolproof. But using one, two, or several of the ideas will help keep your stuff safer.