Visitors to Bali are cautioned to be on the lookout after a rise in crime targetting tourists on the holiday island

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 11:08, 5 July 2026 | Updated: 11:22, 5 July 2026 Bali visitors have shared a warning for Aussies to be careful when headed to the holiday island amid a rise in pickpocket crime. Samantha, who regularly shares travel information about Bali online, shared a video earlier this month warning about the disturbing trend. She claimed locals had noticed a rise in phone snatching and jewellery grabbing, particularly necklaces. The latter can cause serious injuries as it sees pickpockets grab and rip a person's necklace from their neck. 'The one thing that's really causing a lot of problems at the moment on the island is phone snatching and jewellery snatching,' Samantha said. 'It's really, really bad at the moment, not gonna lie. I've had so many of my local friends warn me.' Samantha recommended keeping jewellery hidden while walking on the street and keeping phones in handbags. She added carrying valuable items on the arm furtherest from the roadside would help prevent passersby on scooters snatching them.  Coming to Bali? Watch this… #bali Aussies headed to Bali were warned about a rise in phone and jewellery snatching cases Samantha (above) highlighted the danger of necklace snatching, as it could severely injure a victim's neck Angus Kidman, a travel expert at Finder, told Yahoo Lifestyle the warning was a 'sobering reminder' to be on alert while travelling. 'Travel insurance can cover you for a stolen phone, so make sure your policy includes that, and have the details of your policy stored somewhere other than your phone,' he said. 'Take a printout and keep it with your passport, and leave details with friends and family as well. 'If you can't afford the insurance, you can't afford the trip.' Smartraveller warns Australians to 'exercise a high degree of caution' while visiting Indonesia. 'Theft, robbery, pickpocketing, bag and phone snatching can happen. These crimes can sometimes be violent,' it states. 'Be careful of thieves on motorcycles, especially if you're walking, in upmarket shopping malls, in crowded public transport, at traffic lights, if you're in a stopped car, at bars and nightclubs, when entering and leaving accommodation - including villas in Bali.' Smartraveller advised visitors to 'keep bags and valuables out of sight'. 'If you're walking, use footpaths, stay away from the curb and carry your bag away from the road,' it said. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.