London’s phone theft epidemic has claimed another victim after a mugger on a bike snatched a woman’s mobile from her hand as she was walking down the street.
The unsuspecting victim was minding her own business when the man clad in black came up behind her and snatched the mobile before speeding off.
Her attempt to give chase was futile as the thief raced off on an e-bike capable of speeds up to 30 miles per hour.
The brazen theft happened on 6 June on a busy road near Tavistock Square in Marylebone, central London, just a short distance from Euston Station and the British Museum.
Gangs of muggers on e-bikes are terrorising the streets of London as they target children, mothers and commuters by snatching their mobiles
A man filming the video from a passing car chillingly predicts what was about to happen, with the onlooker clearly heard in the nine second video saying: 'He's going to grab her phone.'
As the bike crook snatches the phone he is heard saying 'see ya' before adding: 'Oh my days.'
It is the second such attack caught on camera in as many days as aspate of attacks has shocked many Londoners as the horrific crimewave has swept through the capital.
In a separate incident in a different part of London two crooks on a moped were caught on camera trying to swipe a man’s phone while riding along the pavement.
The victim, who was standing on a street corner, glanced down at his mobile but luckily turned around as the scooter approached.
The thief on the back attempted to grab it but the man was able to pull his arm away. The incident happened at 8am today in Tottenham, north London.
Following the failed attempt to steal the phone, the scooter then sped away on the path as the victim looked on bemused.
The attempted theft is typical of e-bike crooks who operated across the capital, often acting in pairs and using mopeds or electric bikes to make a quick getaway.
Local Alex Fletcher warned others of the prevalence of phone thefts, adding: ‘I’ve had my phone pinched in central London twice now.
‘Both times they chucked back on the floor straight away because it wasn’t an iPhone.’
Gangs of muggers on e-bikes are terrorising the streets of London as they target children, mothers and commuters by snatching their mobiles.
Figures have shown that a mobile phone is reported as stolen in London every six minutes.
There were almost 91,000 phones snatched from Londoners in 2022, at an average of 248 a day, with only two per cent of the stolen devices recovered.
Last month a video went viral that showed a cyclist dressed all in black ride up to a group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London's West End.
This is the shocking moment a thief on a bike snatches a victim's phone from her hands in broad daylight at a bus stop in central London
In the video, a cyclist dressed all in black rides up to group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London's West End
The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman's hands and speeds off
The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman's hands and speeds off.
At the start of the clip - which has been shared widely on TikTok and X - the thief can be seen riding alongside another cyclist who is also dressed all in black.
The incident was just another example of the terrifying trend of 'gadget snatching' that is sweeping the capital.
In April, horrifying footage was shared on social media of a thief on a bike grabbing a woman's mobile phone from her hands in Albany Place, Marylebone.
The clip was uploaded with the caption: 'Keep your head on swivel when in London.'
The victim is seen in the video attempting to chase after the offender while calling out: 'Hey, come back here.'
Another cyclist in a balaclava had passed by her in the seconds beforehand.
Similarly in March, two masked thieves were seen snatching a phone and fleeing on their bikes in Hampstead, north London - before crashing into an incoming car.
The thief was seen approaching his unsuspecting victim on a bike from behind as she walked along Albany Street in central London
He swiftly swooped to seize the mobile phone from her hands
Then in February a motorcyclist was shown on CCTV trailing a man down the pavement in Tower Bridge Road before snatching his phone and speeding off.
The victim, a 28-year-old banker named Peter, later told MailOnline: 'I just felt something on my shoulder, then a hand went straight for my phone and it was just a snatch and grab.'
Footage shows Peter lunging towards the motorcyclist trying to grab his phone, before chasing him down the street.
Last August a brazen thief on an electric bike snatched a woman's phone in broad daylight just metres from the Ritz hotel near Green Park.
Dash cam footage showed him rushing through stationary traffic at a red light, mounting the pavement and stealing the gadget from the lone pedestrian.
The Metropolitan Police has urged Londoners to be aware of their surroundings and to use security features on their phones.
Locals warned visitors to central London to 'watch their backs' due to the spate of robberies. Jason Green fumed: 'Phone thieves are the scum of the earth.'
Another, Rich, said that phone robberies are 'getting out of control' and asked: 'Met Police, are you guys going to tackle this problem?'
While a third, Bert, joked: 'London, where wing mirrors on a mobile phone is an asset.'
The Metropolitan and City of London police forces have said they are tackling the crime spree head-on.
The City of London Police said it is running a targeted operation that is disrupting phone snatching in the Square Mile.
The operation was started due to the worrying rise the force saw in phone snatching in 2022, which carried on into last and this year.
The force is even spraying criminals and their mopeds with a DNA spray in a bid to link them to crimes if they race away.
Shop owners suspected of buying stolen handsets have also been raided and the force has reintroduced a cycle team to help tackle phone snatchers.
The force has been seizing five illegal e-bikes and e-scooters every week that are known to be used by phone snatchers.
Meanwhile, a Metropolitan Police spokesman previously told MailOnline: 'Tackling robbery and violent crime remains a priority for the Met.
'Operational tactics to improve mobile phone robberies and theft include maximising dedicated proactive police operations, and increasing officers in local hotspot areas to reduce mobile phone robbery and theft offences.
'The Met is also working with local partners such as mobile phone networks, and local businesses in hotspot areas to break the cycle of stolen mobiles entering criminal markets.
'We know that opportunistic criminals target areas of high footfall and tourism, such as Westminster and Soho within London.
'To combat mobile phone robberies, we have specialist teams of both uniformed officers and detectives who attend robbery calls quickly, search the area with victims and witnesses for suspects, and help to secure CCTV and forensic evidence to support mobile phone robberies and investigations.'
The force advised people to remain vigilant in crowded areas and on the transport network and asked anyone who falls victim of a mobile phone robbery to contact the police straight away.
The Metropolitan Police has been approached for comment.
How to protect your mobile from e-bike i-jackers
Criminals often use bikes and mopeds to snatch mobile phones from people, particularly at busy locations such as outside stations, shopping centres or concert venues. Often victims are approached from behind while talking or texting on phones. Criminals on mopeds or bicycles may mount the pavement to grab the phone or snatch it from the road. Sometimes when it's a moped, a pillion passenger will snatch it.
While most thefts happen between six and ten at night, criminals operate during the day too, so always look out for what's going on around you.
The Metropolitan Police has urged people to follow these steps to protect your phone:
Be aware of your surroundings
- If you need to call or use your phone on the street, look out for anyone on a bike or a moped near you. Look up, look out
- Make it quick so you don't become distracted
- Don't text while you're walking – you won't notice what's going on around you
- If that's not possible, stand away from the roadside, close to a building or wall, so no one can come up behind you
- Going hands-free can prevent a thief from snatching your phone out of your hand
Use security features on your phone
- You must switch on your phone's security features to protect your phone
- Use the keypad lock so that thieves cannot immediately access your phone, or use the biometric authentication if your phone has it (fingerprint or facial recognition)
- Your phone may have other security features you can use – these could allow you to wipe data, lock your handset, or prevent a thief from restoring a phone to its factory settings from another internet device
- Consider installing an anti-theft app. These can be an effective way of helping police trace your phone and identify the thief
Know how to identify your phone if it's stolen
- Every phone has an IMEI number which helps police and insurance companies to identify it if it's stolen. UK network operators can also stop a stolen phone from working across their networks with its IMEI
- Find your IMEI number by dialling *#06# from your phone and keep a written note of it; if the phone is stolen, report the number to your mobile provider to stop it being used
- Register your valuables on an accredited property database.
Never confront a thief or risk your own safety for the sake of your mobile
Source: The Metropolitan Police
