A phone theft victim who lost £35,000 to “crypto muggers” in central London is backing a campaign urging the public to secure their devices.
Kush Chaudary, 36, was targeted as he left a Soho bar at 2am.
The gang struck up a conversation with IT manager Mr Chaudary and waited for him to unlock his handset before snatching it.
Fortunately, plain-clothed Metropolitan Police officers had seen the commotion and caught one of them in September 2023. The others got away with Mr Chaudary’s phone.
Within minutes, thieves changed his passcode, drained his cryptocurrency wallet, bank accounts, took out fraudulent loans and later used Apple Pay to buy designer clothes at a Louis Vuitton store, plus electrical items.
Scotland Yard says organised gangs are targeting phones in so-called “crypto muggings”.
A recent crackdown led to 292 arrests in just two weeks, it added.
Mr Chaudary said: “With my phone unlocked, they targeted anything they could gain immediate access to including my bank and crypto accounts.
“They were even able to take a loan out in a matter of seconds, ready to spend as soon as the shops opened up.
“Seeing that unfold in front of my eyes was difficult. This was hard-earned savings I had that was being spent by strangers and I felt very exposed and vulnerable as I didn’t know when it would stop.”
Detective Sergeant Isabella Grotto, from the force’s economic crime team, said: “The Met has stepped up its work to prevent and tackle phone theft in London - with targeted patrols and plain-clothed operations in hotspot areas and improved use of phone-tracking data and intelligence.
“By intensifying our efforts we are catching more perpetrators, but we know it’s still a serious problem and I encourage everyone to take these simple steps which could help prevent significant financial loss and fraud.”
Joseph Serry-Kamal, 19, of Jago Walk, Camberwell, Herman Solomon, 33, of Dundas Road, Lambeth, Smon Tecle, 27, of Lett Road, Brixton, and Jacob Raki, 23, of Quayside Drive, Colchester, were jailed for their roles in the gang.
The Met said they had been responsible for up to 60 other thefts and robberies worth a total of £225,000 in central London between December 2022 and November 2023.
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