What to do about transit thieves who want to steal your cell phone? Fool them with a fake one.

A spike in robberies on transit buses in a Puebla city neighborhood sparked the ingenuity of local entrepreneurs, who are selling fake mobile phones as decoys to fool thieves.

Urging transit riders to “take no risks,” the vendors are selling the devices at 50 pesos and up (US $2.60).

According to some social media users, the fake phones are plastic cases with a cardboard mockup of an actual phone inside.

A Route 10 bus can be seen in the background of a photo that appeared on social media showing a sidewalk sign advertising the phone. The route runs between the southern Puebla neighborhoods of Los Álamos and Los Héroes which, according to residents, has seen an increased number of robberies.

The sign says, “For assaults on public transit!”

According to the National Survey on Urban Public Security (ENSU) conducted by the national statistics institute Inegi, 75% of the population 18 and older feel insecure in their cities, and transit buses are among the places where they feel the most insecure.

Source: Cultura Colectiva (sp)