Hey, guess what thieves are also stealing besides high-end smartphones—high-end headphones often used with high-end smartphones! One of the hot theft targets in the city these days, besides smartphones, are pretty much any variation of the colorful Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Will Bloomberg blame the victims for this crime trend, too?
The Post today points out that the pricey headphones are "the new rage among bandits" because they are a status symbol. According to a police source, "They’re very hot among thieves. It’s like, 'I see it. I want it. I can have it. I’m taking it for me, or my sister needs a pair.'"
In north Brooklyn alone there have been dozens of Beats stolen in the past four months. Still, getting exact numbers on how many Beats have been lifted is tricky, as police suspect their thefts are underreported (since they are untraceable and are rarely insured). Anecdotal evidence and police sources, however, show a growing problem that has even spread into "trendy" neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights. That's where, on April 17, a teen had his Beats stolen—and was punched in the face for the trouble.
This is why we like to wear cheap-looking, non-ostentatious headphones when we're walking around or riding the subway. Clearly, what the world now needs are the headphone equivalent of SNL's classic Chameleon XLE:
