‘I watched in horror as thieves stole £21,000 and took loan out in my name’
A man who had his phone stolen on the London Underground has revealed how thieves stole £21,000 from his banking apps.
Niall McNamee, 30, watched in horror as the thief "took everything" and applied for a £7,000 loan in his name – despite face ID and passwords on his phone. The musician and actor also recalled how transactions showed the phone snatcher – who grabbed his phone while the doors were closing – had gone on a "spending spree" in an Apple store.
He told the BBC: "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."
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Niall received around £14,000 back from Monzo but the £7,000 fraudulent loan that was taken out in his name has not yet been written off by HSBC. He reported the theft to the police but the British Transport Police told the BBC the investigation has now closed because of "no CCTV evidence".
About 78,000 people across the UK were victims of so-called “snatch thefts” last year, when they had phones or bags grabbed from them on the streets. The figure has risen sharply by 150% in the last year and the majority of those thefts are in London.
Police put the rise down to increased demand for second-hand smartphones, both in the UK and abroad. But just 0.8% of thefts from the person recorded in the year to March 2024 resulted in a charge, and 81.9% of police investigations were closed before a suspect was found.
The British Transport Police has issued the following advice to help you protect yourself from phone theft while travelling. It recommends not leaving your phone unattended, out of your sight, or left on a table, and to always be aware of your surroundings. Finally, it urges travellers to only use their mobile when it feels safe to and to put it away when you've finished using it.
You should contact the police straight away if your phone has been stolen – it can be helpful if you're able to find your IMEI number, which is a 15-digit code that is often printed on the label on your device's box. You should also be able to find it by contacting your mobile phone provider. You should also ask your network provider to cancel your SIM and contact your bank to protect your accounts.
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