German Tourist Robbed at Ballermann – Phone Tracked Down in Romania

Phone stolen, tracking leads to Romania

It sounds like something out of a crime thriller: A 22-year-old German man is partying at Playa de Palma, loses his phone—and finds it days later on a map not on the island. The pinpoint points thousands of kilometers away to a small village in Romania: Isalnita, Strada Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Crazy, but that is exactly what happened.

How it happened

The evening was typical Ballermann, according to a female friend of the young man on the phone: loud music, crowds, a few breaks in front of Megapark and Bierkönig. "We told him at 1 a.m.: put the phone in the hotel. He didn't do it." Minutes later the device disappeared. No struggles, no big scenes—only the uncomfortable realization the next morning.

The surprising lead

Fortune in misfortune: The phone was linked to a tracking service. "I checked it briefly and thought: This can't be real." Instead of a pin on Palma, a dot appeared on a long stretch to the east. Address: Strada Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Isalnita, postal code 200801. Not a tourist town, more like a quiet nest with a few thousand inhabitants—and suddenly unfamiliar hands were tapping on the display of his phone.

You can imagine how surreal that was for the person involved. He first wrote to his mother, then informed the police at home and cautiously announced that he would probably file a report later. More wasn't possible for now: The phone was switched off, reachable only as a dot on a map.

A known modus operandi

At the local police in Palma, such cases are not entirely new. In travel seasons, groups that specifically target pickpocketing appear again and again. Sometimes things end up abroad—via sales networks, via shipping, or they are taken along on trips. In the tracking process, international authorities are often involved, and that can be lengthy.

Holiday tips

A few simple rules help: Leave the phone in the hotel, not in the pocket along the promenade, carry bags with zippers close to the body, and be especially careful in large crowds. If something happens: activate tracking services immediately, request a blocking number from your provider, file a report—and don't try to sort it out on your own.

In the end, there is a sour aftertaste. The young man didn't lose everything, but the vacation is ruined. And you stay a bit more wary at the next stop along the Promenade. If you're going to be on the promenade in the coming days: keep your eyes open. And yes, I tell everyone who asks whether you really need it while dancing in front of Bierkönig: leave the phone in the hotel.