“Last evening I was the victim of a sad scam – Beware of Phone Thieves”

“Dear PoPville,

Last evening I was the victim of a sad scam (which others may have had better senses to avoid, but I wanted to alert in case others have as much hope in our community as I do). Two teen girls came up and asked to borrow my phone to call someone (maybe the millennial in me still assumed kids could be without a phone) so I let them.

They ran off with my phone and got into a white sedan with a male driver and another teen girl down the street keeping watch. I would caution others to be more apprehensive of letting strangers borrow their phone, regardless of their age. And thank you to a kind stranger who witnessed and got pictures of the getaway car. This happened on the 1000 block of S St NW.”

Another reader shares a different experience via DM:

“I, too, have had someone (a teen girl) ask if they could borrow my cellphone to call their dad. As it was dark, and late, I told her I would dial the number and put it on speaker phone for her to talk to her dad for a ride. I held it up with both hands. After the call ended, as it was a well-populated area, I told her I would wait with her until her dad arrived. I definitely understand how this could have gone sideways quickly, but her dad arrived and picked her up within 10-15 minutes.”