Criminals lurking on the London Underground are targeting passengers for their mobile phones just as the doors close before draining their bank accounts.
Many of the so-called ‘gadget grabbers’ are running off with devices before stealing thousands of pounds and getting away with it amid a very low conviction rate.
Reports of theft and robberies on trains and at stations rose by 58 per cent from 2018 to 2023, according to police figures – with London making up the majority last year.
But an overwhelming 98 per cent of the 23,683 thefts and robberies recorded last year did not result in what police describe as a ‘positive outcome’ or conviction.
Among the recent victims was Niall McNamee, a musician and actor who was on a Tube train when his phone was snatched from his hand just as the doors shut.
The 30-year-old then discovered to his horror two days later that £21,000 had been drained from his bank accounts, including a £7,000 loan taken out in his name – despite his banking apps being protected by facial recognition and passwords.
Mr McNamee told BBC News: ‘It’s one of those moments where you just in one second feel a bucket of sweat come out of your head and you go red.
‘It was panic stations for two days. I was on the phone pretty non-stop… and then pacing up and down the kitchen. Just trying to get to the bottom of it.
Niall McNamee, a musician and actor, was on a Tube train when his phone was snatched from his hand just as the doors shut – before £21,000 was drained from his bank accounts
Travel writer and TikTok content creator Tasha Whitley, 26, revealed last month that her new iPhone 16 was snatched out of her hand at Elephant and Castle station on November 7
‘I’ve no idea how they’d got into either of my accounts. It’s face ID and password protected. They managed to take out a loan, which is a laugh because I’ve been trying to get a loan for years and I’m not eligible for one – somehow they managed to.’
He reported the theft to police, but did not call his bank or cancel his cards – and then found the thief had taken out a £7,000 loan in his name from HSBC, transferring all the cash to his Monzo account, before stealing it all.
British Transport Police (BTP) ended its investigation one month after the theft because of ‘no CCTV evidence’. Monzo reimbursed Mr McNamee £14,000 of the stolen money, but he is still waiting for HSBC to write off the loan.
A BTP spokesman said: ‘We received an online report of a theft of a phone on board a train between Leicester Square and Balham Underground station that occurred on October 15 at around 7am.
‘Officers investigated, however after exhausting all available lines of enquiry the case has been closed pending new information.’
And a Transport for London spokeswoman told MailOnline: ‘We are really sorry that this happened to Mr McNamee on our network. Thieves target busy places, including public transport networks, particularly at this time of year.
‘We are working closely with the British Transport Police to tackle this activity, including through targeted operations in hotspot locations with plain clothes police patrols. We also share regular crime prevention messaging encouraging customers to be vigilant, keep their belongings safe and report any suspicious activity to the police to deter thieves. We will continue our work with the police to ensure that our transport network remains a safe environment to work and travel.’
Another recent victim of phone theft on the Tube was travel writer Tasha Whitley, 26, whose new iPhone 16 was snatched out of her hand at Elephant and Castle station on November 7.
Ms Whitley, a popular TikTok content creator, was on sitting on a seat closest to the door on a Northern line train going from Balham to Moorgate at the time of the incident, which said she left her ‘upset’, ‘heartbroken’ and ‘in shock’
Speaking in a video which has now been viewed more than 670,000 times, she said: ‘I was on my phone, as most people are, I was typing something on my phone, so I was looking at my phone, not really taking in my surroundings.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan uses his mobile phone on the London Underground in August 2023
‘All of a sudden, someone just comes and grabs the phone, snatches it out of my hand, romps out the door and just runs. I was just in shock, I literally screamed and then the doors closed and the Tube was going off.
‘I did not even have time to process it. I also had a suitcase with me so I obviously wasn’t going to go running out the door. He was obviously watching me and found the perfect moment to just snatch it.’
In September, the Government pledged to crack down on phone thefts after the overall number of incidents soared by more than 150 per cent last year.
The Home Office said at the time that it planned to call a summit with tech companies to discuss ways to combat the issue which would build on existing anti-theft features already available.
An estimated 78,000 people had phones or bags snatched from them on British streets in year to March 2024, according to data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
This represented a 153 per cent rise when compared to the 31,000 incidents of ‘snatch thefts’ in the same period to March 2023.
According to Home Office analysis of the data, there were more than 200 incidents every day across England and Wales in the 12-month period.
Just 0.8 per cent of ‘theft from the person’ resulted in a charge, and 81.9 per cent of police investigations were closed before a suspect was found.
Police intelligence showed this was likely being driven by increased demand for second-hand smartphones, both in the UK and abroad.
Research by MoneySuperMarket in September found thefts on the Tube had almost trebled since 2021.
The number of thefts on Underground trains rose to 11,363 in 2023 – an increase of 260 per cent since 3,159 in 2021, according to BTP data obtained via a Freedom of Information request.
Mobile phones were the most stolen item on the Tube by a landslide – with 11,773 mobile phone or accessory thefts reported to BTP over the last three years.
The Victoria line had the greatest number of theft reports, with 3,624 incidents reported to BTP since 2021 – ahead of the Northern line with 3,083 and the Jubilee line with 3,037.
Many smartphones already include a range of tools to help users protect their personal data and even track their handset in the event it is stolen.
Apple’s Find Devices tool enables users to remotely lock their iPhone and other mobile devices should they be stolen, while continuing to track their location.
Police officers on patrol at London Bridge station on the Underground network in July 2020
iPhone users can also use a feature called Stolen Device Protection, which when turned on requires additional security measures to access key security and personal data settings if the phone senses it is away from a familiar location such as home or work.
This feature requires biometric authentication through a face scan or fingerprint to get through the additional layers of security, so can protect personal information even if the person with the phone knows the passcode.
On Google’s Android, phone owners can use the Find My Device app to remotely lock or erase their device.
In addition, earlier this year Google announced the introduction of new AI-powered tools, including something called Theft Detection Lock, which automatically locks a phone when the various sensors detect motion patterns associated with theft – such as the jolt of someone on a bike snatching a phone before moving off at high speed.
BTP Superintendent John Loveless told MailOnline: ‘We understand how upsetting, inconvenient, and potentially costly incidents of theft can be.
‘Unfortunately, there can often be limited opportunity for investigation in incidents without a clear estimate of time or location or those without CCTV footage or witnesses.
‘The more time our officers spend reviewing CCTV footage for these offences, the less time they have for patrolling the network or investigating high-harm crimes.
‘We are continuing to investigate all types of crime, including theft, and every offence reported provides valuable intelligence which is used to direct our patrols and operations.
‘We would urge anyone who believes they were the victim of a theft to report it to an officer or a member of staff, online on our website, or by texting 61016.
‘If a robbery has just happened, always dial 999 – officers can immediately deploy to a location and begin immediate enquiries to trace offenders.’
Alex Somervell, from scam checker service Ask Silver, told MailOnline: ‘The speed at which thieves gain access into a stolen phone is crucial. In some cases, it can take mere minutes for skilled criminals to gain access.
‘Thieves often employ sophisticated techniques, such as ‘shoulder surfing’ to obtain PIN codes, allowing them immediate access to personal, sensitive, and financial information stored on the device.
‘Once inside, they can swiftly compromise various accounts, change passwords, and even take control of email and messaging services. The first hour after a phone theft is critical.’
He said this is referred to as the ‘golden hour,’ during which victims ‘must act quickly to lock their devices and secure their data’.
TfL encourages anyone who experiences or witnesses a crime on the Tube or other rail modes to report it to the BTP by texting 61016, or via the free Railway Guardian app. Customers can also report incidents to members of staff.
TfL also said customers can report an incident on the bus network at https://www.met.police.uk/ or by calling 101. In an emergency or if the suspect is still on scene, customers should call 999.
MailOnline has contacted London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office, Monzo and HSBC for comment.
* Has your phone been stolen on the Tube? Email: mark.duell@dailymail.co.uk *