The Student Room Group

So I got mugged...

Hi all,

Am hoping that people here might have had more experience in these things than me (even though I don't want anyone else to have had to go through that!)...

Basically, I got mugged coming back from Fulham on Saturday morning and lost my debit card, driving licence, iPhone, keys, etc.

I'm worried that I still had my address in my message history from when I had a flatwarming party a fortnight ago and that, with my keys, means that I might need to get the locks changed. Part of me thinks that they were only after my phone and have probably ditched my keys but people have told me horror stories about keys being sold on with peoples' addresses - potentially to those capable of more than mugging...

I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts - feel free to tell me I'm being particularly pessimistic or optimistic!

Also, I've had my phone barred by O2 but I know that iPhones are relatively easy to jailbreak - does that mean they can still access my messages? I had it blocked about 12 hours after having my phone stolen so I presume they wouldn't have taken down my address before then but, if there's still a way of them accessing the information, then I don't want to be waiting for them to come calling at my flat.

Basically, what would you do in this situation?

Thanks for any advice! Xx

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Reply 1
sorry to hear that you'e been mugged first of all!! I havent been through this kind of thing but i would change the locks. Better to be safe than sorry i think. :smile:
Reply 2
Did you have the find my iphone app on your phone? You could have tracked it with GPS.
Reply 3
Original post by bexter:)
sorry to hear that you'e been mugged first of all!! I havent been through this kind of thing but i would change the locks. Better to be safe than sorry i think. :smile:


Thanks! Yeah, that's my thinking too - my mum seems unconerned though and she usually wants to wrap me up in cotton wool!


Original post by Amstead
Did you have the find my iphone app on your phone? You could have tracked it with GPS.


Nope, I'm a doofus :frown:
I would get the locks changed, but as far as the unlocking of the iPhone goes, I think that if they are going to unbar it, then they have to install a new os altogether, so it would wipe off all your details etc. (Don't hold me to this, but this is what I would assume).

Sorry this happened to you :/ it's awful.
Did you have a lock on your iPhone? i.e. a password lock thing. don't tell me you didn't have a password lock on your phone
Yes, I have been mugged. :frown:

on a rainy day walking back from college at around 6 in the evening, a group of 4 youths decided to jump me. One of the boys sprints up to me from behind and covers my face with my hood, then another lunges his hand forward and unzips my left hand side coat pocket, then takes a dig and manages to take my student ID card, weekend college ID card, debit card, bus pass, keys and a couple of coins.

It was a scary and rather annoying experience.

So OP, you are not alone! :console:

EDIT: I was very lucky in a sense. If I decided to take my 3DS to college that would have been stolen. It was my birthday present and I would be so depressed if I had it stolen. It was also during exam time (June), so the depression would have affected my grades. So in a way I am very lucky.

EDIT 2: OP, get your locks changed, FAST.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 7
Sorry to hear that :frown: I would say it's better to be safe than sorry, obviously it's a pain and will cost but you stand to lose a lot more if they decide to do anything.
Reply 8
what colour were they? Black?

Sorry to hear

Personally I would change locks ASAP and just keep weapons around the house for the time being incase anything happens obv god forbit that happens.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by franzk
what colour were they? Black?


Why this is relevant I have no idea...

Original post by vintage_007
Thanks! Yeah, that's my thinking too - my mum seems unconerned though and she usually wants to wrap me up in cotton wool!




Nope, I'm a doofus :frown:


I'd be more worried about your driving license than your phone, but you might be able to get that particular one blocked or something when you apply for a new one. Im sure there's some sort of procedure, and did you have a passwordy thing on your iPhone?
Original post by vintage_007
Hi all,

Am hoping that people here might have had more experience in these things than me (even though I don't want anyone else to have had to go through that!)...

Basically, I got mugged coming back from Fulham on Saturday morning and lost my debit card, driving licence, iPhone, keys, etc.

I'm worried that I still had my address in my message history from when I had a flatwarming party a fortnight ago and that, with my keys, means that I might need to get the locks changed. Part of me thinks that they were only after my phone and have probably ditched my keys but people have told me horror stories about keys being sold on with peoples' addresses - potentially to those capable of more than mugging...

I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts - feel free to tell me I'm being
particularly pessimistic or optimistic!

Also, I've had my phone barred by O2 but I know that iPhones are relatively easy to jailbreak - does that mean they can still access my messages? I had it blocked about 12 hours after having my phone stolen so I presume they wouldn't have taken down my address before then but, if there's still a way of them accessing the information, then I don't want to be waiting for them to come calling at my flat.

Basically, what would you do in this situation?

Thanks for any advice! Xx



Do you know the IMEI of your phone? Then you can go to the police and they can track it
Reply 11
Original post by Sophie1805
I would get the locks changed, but as far as the unlocking of the iPhone goes, I think that if they are going to unbar it, then they have to install a new os altogether, so it would wipe off all your details etc. (Don't hold me to this, but this is what I would assume).

Sorry this happened to you :/ it's awful.


Ahh thanks for that, that's really reassuring! I'll look into this... And thank you :smile:


Original post by Captain Hindsight
Did you have a lock on your iPhone? i.e. a password lock thing. don't tell me you didn't have a password lock on your phone


No I didn't, I'm really not very good on the whole common sense thing...



Original post by House Dagoth
Yes, I have been mugged. :frown:

on a rainy day walking back from college at around 6 in the evening, a group of 4 youths decided to jump me. One of the boys sprints up to me from behind and covers my face with my hood, then another lunges his hand forward and unzips my left hand side coat pocket, then takes a dig and manages to take my student ID card, weekend college ID card, debit card, bus pass and a couple of coins.

It was a scary and rather annoying experience.

So OP, you are not alone! :console:

EDIT: I was very lucky in a sense. If I decided to take my 3DS to college that would have been stolen. It was my birthday present and I would be so depressed if I had it stolen. It was also during exam time (June), so the depression would have affected my grades. So in a way I am very lucky.


Aww that sounds terrifying, poor you! My experience was a lot less scary and self-inflicted since I was drunk, am female and was walking 5 miles home but still not great... Small mercies with your 3DS!


Original post by misst911
Sorry to hear that :frown: I would say it's better to be safe than sorry, obviously it's a pain and will cost but you stand to lose a lot more if they decide to do anything.


Yes that's very true, thanks for that.
Reply 12
Did they beat you to a pulp?
Reply 13
wow that is horrible, hope you are ok and didn't get hurt! luckily it's only belongings you lost because you hear about muggings going wrong and ending badly.

i would get your locks changed, just to be on the safe side. that way, you will be safe if they did decide to come and pay you a visit and also you would feel better yourself and won't be worrying about it.
Reply 14
Original post by franzk
what colour were they? Black?

Sorry to hear

Personally I would change locks ASAP and just keep weapons around the house for the time being incase anything happens obv god forbit that happens.


I'm black, but I laughed for a good minute when I read this.

Why does that matter? The OP is asking for advice, and you just want to know what race the muggers were...

:facepalm2:
Reply 15
Do you know roughly how old they were?

- Also, OP, get the IMEI number off your iPhone packaging (should be on the side) and call Apple and make sure they barr it. Therefore, if it is connected to itunes again, they may be able to track it.
(edited 12 years ago)
My mate got robbed in a distraction robbery on Friday night. Not nice at all, he'd only had his phone 3 days.
Reply 17
Original post by franzk
what colour were they? Black?

Sorry to hear

Personally I would change locks ASAP and just keep weapons around the house for the time being incase anything happens obv god forbit that happens.


Not that it's relevant, but no.

And thanks, maybe I'll sleep with a knife by my bed!





Really? That's reassuring as I've been kicking myself for not having that on there!



Original post by Moleman1996



I'd be more worried about your driving license than your phone, but you might be able to get that particular one blocked or something when you apply for a new one. Im sure there's some sort of procedure, and did you have a passwordy thing on your iPhone?


Ahh I hadn't been worried about that up until now! I'll sort that out tomorrow then, thanks.


Original post by Joeyboy 12
Do you know the IMEI of your phone? Then you can go to the police and they can track it


No, I hadn't realised they existed until last night when I was looking it up. Damn not being technologically aware!






Yes, I reported it to the police that day.
Have sorted the debit card and they've blocked it so that should be useless now.
Hmm yeah, I'm not sure if I'm being too dramatic by wanting to change the locks - my flatmate seems to think I am!
Yeah, I have had a look about disabling it entirely but can't seem to find any info on it - I think it's possible on other phones but not on iPhones as Apple obviously want you to buy another one!
Yeah, I used to kickbox, should get back into that. I was hardly going to put up a fight when there was 4 of them though and I was in heels! Thanks anyway though!



Original post by Jacktri
Did they beat you to a pulp?


No I just handed them over!



Original post by laseine
wow that is horrible, hope you are ok and didn't get hurt! luckily it's only belongings you lost because you hear about muggings going wrong and ending badly.

i would get your locks changed, just to be on the safe side. that way, you will be safe if they did decide to come and pay you a visit and also you would feel better yourself and won't be worrying about it.


Thanks, I'm fine, just shaken. Yeah, it's all material stuff - more an inconvenience than anything else!

That's very true, I think it'll always be in the back of my mind if I don't sort it out...



Original post by Tom2011
Do you know roughly how old they were?

- Also, OP, get the IMEI number off your iPhone packaging (should be on the side) and call Apple and make sure they barr it. Therefore, if it is connected to itunes again, they may be able to track it.


A bit younger than me - maybe 18ish?


Thanks all! x
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 18
Original post by vintage_007
Thanks! Yeah, that's my thinking too - my mum seems unconerned though and she usually wants to wrap me up in cotton wool!




Nope, I'm a doofus :frown:


Young people are more clued up on the dangers.

Definitely get locks changed for piece of mind and indeed cutting the danger. You just never know these days.

Definitely block your debit card if you haven't already.

Definitely get your old driving licence blocked. Again just incase.
Reply 19
Original post by ChapelTom
My mate got robbed in a distraction robbery on Friday night. Not nice at all, he'd only had his phone 3 days.


Aww that's not nice, I hope he's okay. I'd had mine for 2 weeks after getting it replaced due to smashing the screen up!

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