Holidaying Influencers’ Efforts to Capture Selfie with Pickpocket Go Awry

A group of Australian influencers from the TikTok account @betheonebt1, which has over 119,000 followers, ventured to Barcelona with a peculiar plan: to get their phone stolen by a pickpocket so they could snag a selfie with the thief. Their chosen destination, Barcelona, is notorious for being one of the worst cities in the world for pickpocketing.

In their video, they stated: "We're in Barcelona, Spain right now, the number one voted place in the world for pickpockets. We’ve come with a brand new working phone, and we’re going to see if Youngy gets pickpocketed. And then get a photo with the person." Youngy, the designated bait, placed the phone in the back pocket of his shorts and wandered through tourist-heavy locations, while his friends recorded from a distance.

Despite their efforts, by the end of the day, no one attempted to steal the device. Youngy even positioned himself at the city's port with the phone next to him on the ground, but it remained untouched. Attempting again in the evening, Youngy sat by a fountain in Barcelona's main square, leaving the phone in clear view. Rather than attracting criminals, he was approached by concerned locals advising him to secure his phone, telling him repeatedly to "put the phone in your pocket, it’s going to be taken."

Persisting with their experiment the following day, they explored a subway station and even the beach, where Youngy left the phone on the sand—both attempts were unsuccessful.

In a final bid, they dined at a restaurant, placing the phone at the table’s edge while Youngy left it unattended momentarily. Despite the heavy foot traffic, the phone remained unmoved. The group expressed their astonishment: "This is actually scary now, this feels so weird."

After 48 hours and multiple failed attempts, Youngy concluded, "Maybe Barcelona, you're not too bad." The video documenting their attempts went viral, garnering over 2.8 million views and 235,000 likes.

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