I’m betting he was the only one at his table. That leaves 270 degrees unprotected when you lay your phone on the table. And nothing like being distracted looking down and writing in a busy public area. Mark, buddy, you are a mark.
Would it have been better if the phone had a wrist tether? Not so easy to swipe?
I have to be very careful about displaying my phone. There are too many shady people in this town who are on the lookout for prey. I even ran into a couple coming back from church on Christmas Eve. One can’t be too careful.