my phone + cards got stolen yesterday so the past 12 hours have been a frantic series of resetting every account and password i can think of
the real dumb part about it -- which strikes me as very silly in hindsight -- is that i was pickpocketed via a ruse which i have seen multiple times in film and tv, most notably, in the movie “the sting,” which is my dad’s favorite movie
in this grift, i turn down an alley with my husband and friend, and a group of teenage boys chases after us when they see me take a picture of something. they shout at us to stop and we ignore them. eventually one of them runs in front of me, and very serious, says it will be $5 for the picture. we all stand there, blinking, processing this very stupid request. after a moment passes, my friend says “no, we’re not paying you,” and we walk away, at a quicker pace.
we turn back down the alley a few moments later (as we realized we were lost) and the youths were nowhere to be found. two hours later, i realize that i can’t find my phone. i check my email and find that “find my iphone” was disabled very shortly after i took the picture. because.... while one youth distracts us with a stupid question, and we feel like we’re being hustled on that end, behind us, the other youths pick our pockets. they steal my phone, instantly unlock it, disable “find my iphone” and change my password.
jesus christ. i was in the musical “oliver.” i played a ruffian. i sang the steps to this exact grift. i am. dumbstruck.
