Rochester, N.Y. - A security camera at a Rochester bar captured what police tell us happens every day - thieves targeting our technology.
The manager of The Dr.'s Inn, Keith Diehl, was hanging up christmas decorations at the bar on Thursday, when a man came in claiming he had lost a cell phone.
Security cameras captured the theft.
"It's almost like he knows what he's going to do at this point, and then he just swipes it right into his pocket," Diehl told 13WHAM News as he shared the business' surveillance video.
Cameras caught the man entering the bar. As he left his information regarding the cell phone theft, the thief looked down to see Diehl's cell phone sitting on the bar. He quickly grabbed Diehl's phone, and placed it in his pocket.
"I was enraged," Diehl said. "I wanted to go out looking for him, which I did, actually. I went down to Verizon to see if anybody tried to turn the phone on."
Tech experts offer advice for cell phone theft victims:- Get in touch with your providers, and disable your account
- Ask how they can help if you have a prepaid phone or a contract phone.
- Use the tracking applications. For example, iPhone has "Find My Phone."
Diehl didn't have those activated on his phone, and he regrets that.
"Activate it right away, because you don't think about it until it's already out of your possession," he said.
"The police have already been notified," Diehl said. "They put it on a stolen list. If he goes to a pawn shop or any other store with it, it will show up on the list."
The Dr.'s Inn is offering a reward for help tracking down the thief.
