A thief ran off with an iPhone after “throwing down” a bundle of suspected fake £50 notes in front of a young Scots woman who was selling it to him.
Louise Briony was left “gobsmacked” when the man, who claimed he was buying the phone as a Christmas present for his son, sped off after asking to inspect the device when the pair met outside her home in Hamilton’s Caird Street on Thursday.
The 23-year-old has now spoken out in a bid to warn others to be vigilant.
She told the Record: “I am absolutely gutted this has happened and I'm now £150 down.
“I could have been someone needing that money to pay the bills or for a Christmas present for someone. It’s sad for someone not to think about that and to be so selfish and not care about other people. It just sums up what is wrong with society these days.”
Louise had advertised her old iPhone XR on Gumtree earlier this week and received a text from a potential buyer on Thursday asking about the condition of the phone and offering £140.
Louise explained there was minimal damage with a small crack on the right side of it and that the face ID was "temperamental" and they agreed a price of £150.
The potential buyer said he was preferably looking for a fully working phone for his son’s Christmas present but would consider it even if temperamental, and they arranged to meet up.
At 5.20pm, he texted to say he was outside her block of flats in Park Holme Court and she went out with her dog to meet him.
Louise, who works in financial services, continued: “I walked out of the door and he said ‘hi’ and asked if I was the person about the iPhone and I pulled the phone out my back pocket. I explained to him about the face ID and that I had reset the phone and said to him the camera works perfectly.
“He wanted to inspect it and I handed it to him and he said he was going to take the case off to see the chip and then he tried to start it up. I said to him it’s been factory reset and he said it is ideal.
“He asked about the charger but I said I only have one for my current phone, and then he said he was happy to take it and reached into his back pocket and took a step back and then threw the money down on the floor. I think that was a distraction for me as he ran off around the corner.
“I was gobsmacked and thought, ‘where are you going?’ I could see three £50 notes and realised they were really bad copies.
"I texted him to ask for the phone back and tried calling him but no answer. I’ve contacted the police, who are going to call me on Saturday.
“I have sold all my old phones and an Apple watch on Gumtree but have never had a problem before.”
Louise said she did go after the phone thief at the time, but soon heard a car being driven away by the time she got to the corner of the road.
She described the man as aged around early to mid 20s, around 5ft 8ins in height and wearing black clothing including tracksuit bottoms, a Nike hoodie top and jacket. She said he had short hair on the back and sides with longer hair on top, large ears and a Glasgow accent.
Louise has since contacted her network provider to blacklist the phone, which stops it making or receiving calls or using data.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of the theft of a mobile phone on Park Holme Court, Hamilton, around 6pm on Thursday, 11 November, 2021.
“Enquiries are at an early stage."
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