A video has gone viral showing a “cruel” stunt in London where pranksters pretend to make payments using Apple Pay on unsuspecting strangers' phones.
The trend, which began on TikTok, is becoming increasingly common in the capital and is enraging victims.
Pranksters play the Apple Pay “ding” sound next to the victim’s phone to mimic a completed transaction, often saying “thank you” before walking away.
One prank, carried out by TikToker F Boogie, took place along the River Thames, when he walked up to a tourist and pretended to take £1,000.
But the stunt backfired when the victim restrained the TikToker, believing that money had been stolen from his credit card.
The video then shows a plainclothes police officer arriving at the scene and proceeding to handcuff the TikToker.
The prankster then appears to panic as the police officer asks him to “keep still”. He exclaims “oh my hand bruv, my hand, you’ve f***ed up my hand.”
Pranks often take place on the street or inside supermarkets and are met with confusion and anger from members of the public.
While no physical or financial harm is done through the prank, it has been met with a backlash from people on the receiving end.
One shopper told the Standard how he was recently targeted by one of a prankster in a Tesco supermarket in Woolwich.
"I was standing by the bakery aisle looking at my phone when a guy came up to me and held a device at my phone,” he said.
“It pinged and he said 'thank for for donating £30 to charity'.
"I challenged him but he kept going on about how it was a generous donation, that he was very grateful etc. He was smiling the whole time. I just thought 'what the f**k'.
"I tried to get the attention of a member of staff who was stacking shelves, but they didn't seem to care.
"Eventually the guy told me to relax, that it was just a joke.
"He might think it was funny but I was pretty shaken up. It's a cruel thing to do to people just to get some followers on TikTok."
