Moment masked e-bike thieves star in selfie video as they attempt to snatch phone - as woman reveals tip that saved her

8 September 2024, 08:27 | Updated: 8 September 2024, 08:43

Shocking footage has emerged showing masked e-bike thieves attempting to snatch a woman's phone as she takes a selfie video in central London.

The bike riding thief inadvertently became the star of the show after attempting to steal the phone on London's Oxford Street, with the woman posting to social media to warn others.

"I can't believe I caught that on camera!" TikTok user @Naarah says in the video, explaining how the bike thieves struck.

The footage shows the Australian woman smiling as she strolls down London's Oxford Street, before a balaclava-clad figure on an e-bike appears eerily over her shoulder.

Within seconds, the figure attempts to grab the phone, with the rider's legs and bike capture on video as the device slips from her hand.

However, the thief failed to get away with the goods, with the now-viral video showing the reason the woman was able to thwart phone thieves - a simple necklace.

It comes as recent figures reveal phone thefts increased by a staggering 152% last year.

"So tonight I went to see a show in Central London and it reassured me why I wear one of these," she said, tugging at the phone strap around her neck.

"Small crime is so common here," says Naarah, whose profile describes her as an "Aboriginal in London", as she warned: "It can literally happen to anyone."

The necklace-like strap, which attaches to the base of an iPhone case, was slung around her neck at the time and meant the opportunist thieves were unable to snatch and cycle off with the device.

"100 per cent recommend it, so you can keep your phone and your memories and your life near to you - I learnt first hand tonight."

Read more: We’re in the midst of a phone theft epidemic - I fell victim, and I don’t trust the Met to sort it out

Read more: Moment thief on e-bike snatches phone from woman's hand on Oxford Street as UK mobile thefts soar

The neck straps, which can be bought for under £10 online, were enough to stop the thief riding off with the device.

It's the latest in a wave of phone snatching cases to sweep the capital.

Recent days a series of videos have emerged showing criminal phone snatchers grabbing mobile devices in broad daylight across the country.

It comes as figures revealed the number of phones, watches and bags being stolen on Britain’s streets has soared to the highest rate in a decade, according to new figures.

Figures from the ONS show around 78,000 people had one grabbed from them on the streets in the last year - an increase of 152%.

In the year to March 2023-2024 there were 78,000 of the offences - compared to 31,000 in the same period from 2022-23.