Phone snatching in London

What is it? How to avoid it, what to do if it happens

This is one of those posts which I hate to write. However, personal experience caught up with me and I became a victim of an increasingly common crime: phone snatching. It’s especially common near tube stations and near pedestrian crossings.

I’ll be honest, I’d become quite complacent. I’ve worked in central London for 8 years and never had a problem. Probably linked to never having anything worth stealing before, but still.

Phone snatching has soared in the last two years, with Southwark and Camden boroughs current (2023) hotspots. It’s estimated by the metropolitan police that a phone is taken every six minutes in London, that’s 240 phones a day. Some of the tabloids have labeled it an epidemic. I’m not sure I would go that far, but it’s certainly more common than you’d like to think. You can find the official met police guidance here.

I hope you won’t need this, but if you’re traveling to London, do print it or bookmark it.

What is phone snatching?

It is very much what it sounds like. Young usually men, cycling on push or electric bikes, dressed all in black with their faces covered, will approach you from behind and take the phone out of your hands. The uniform they wear is designed so you cannot tell their age, ethnicity or really anything about them that might help the police find them. It’s a major problem for the met.

These crimes are most common after 6pm when people who work in the city are making their way home and often scrolling whilst walking (a pet peeve of mine) or trying to call an Uber.

The snatchers quite literally do loops of areas they know commuters or more affluent tourists would congregate, looking for decent phones that can be sold on the black market. My colleague has hers snatched at the same spot as me and hers has ended up on the other side of the world.

These are usually non-violent attacks, but they shake you nonetheless. The police guidance is clear – don’t chase after the snatchers or try to confront them – this is where it could get dangerous.

How to avoid phone snatching

To put it bluntly, the best way to avoid your phone being snatched is not to be using your smartphone on a street corner in central London and not to text whilst walking as you’re much less alert. I usually don’t text and walk, but mine was snatched when I was stopped at a crossing opposite Southwark Station sending the “I’m on my way home” text.

As a tourist who relies on phone maps, it can be easier said than done not to use it, but try not to if you’re in a hotspot.

The snatchers are targetting higher quality phones, so if you know you’ll have it out either bringing an old phone with you to London or have a case that includes a strap.

On the subject of cases, I would avoid one that has a wallet attached. The contactless payment limit is £100 in the UK so with your debit card someone could do a lot of damage in a short period of time.

Things you can do to make your life easier if it happens

If you’re a UK resident, register your phone on immobilise.com – UK insurers will ask you to do this to process your claim and ensure your phone is registered with your insurance company before you travel (or as soon as you get the shiny new device).

This may seem obvious, but have phone insurance or if you’re a visitor check a phone is covered on your travel insurance. My insurance for example only covers phones less than 7 inches tall – which is fine for me, but it’s an exclusion to be aware of. Equally, register your phone on the insurance when you get it. This will save you a lot of hassle.

Have your IMEI number written down and left in your hotel – you’ll need this should anything happen. You can find it by dialing *#06# on your phone. Not having it written down can cause you all forms of problems as in the case of theft, your insurers will need proof that it was that handset that was in use at the time it was taken – and your network provider will have this information.

Think about what’s activated. For example, biometric approval minimises the risk of your apps like online banking being raided. Equally, Find My iPhone or Android Device Manager can help the police locate your phone (and possibly a stash of phones belonging to other people).

What do you need to do if your phone is snatched?

The aim of these snatches is to get phones to wipe and sell on. In the main, they are less bothered about getting into your phone and using your apps. That said, the amount of personal information means acting quickly is key.

Find a computer or another way to get online

If you are travelling solo in London, many hotels have computers you can use equally libraries will likely help you. It’s a feature of modern London that either of these is easier to find than a police counter.

Disable Apple/ Google Pay

Apple users can log onto their account through https://www.icloud.com/find and mark their device as lost. Android users can do the same through https://www.android.com/find.

This will automatically remove the mobile payment ability from the lost device and will give you the option to remotely wipe the phone. If you mark it as lost, even if you do not wipe it, it prevents others from being able to.

Get your IMEI number

Your IMEI number is the unique identifier for your handset. Every GSM phone has one. It is this number that allows networks to block your phone and if the police find your phone, this can help them reunite you with it.

You can find your IMEI number in a number of ways, if you have the phone it’s the *#06#. Which is all well and good if you have your phone.

If you don’t (like I didn’t) you can find it on an online portal where your phone is registered (where immobilise comes in handy) or on the box it came in.

For Apple users, if you have an iPad or Mac with iOS 10.3 or later that’s signed in to your Apple ID, you can go on that device, go to Settings > [Your name]. Scroll down to see any devices signed in with your Apple ID. To view the serial and IMEI/MEID number, tap the device name., it’s in the settings on your profile. Note, you cannot register a phone with the police or with the insurance company without an IMEI number.

Report it to the Metropolitan Police.

The easiest way to report a stolen phone in London is online. It’s a really simple process, but it is only in English and does require a little knowledge of where you were and recall of the time when it happened.

The police will call you for more information, so you will need to be able to give the phone number of a friend, family member or the hotel where you are staying. They are super used to dealing with this crime, so it will be efficient. You will need an email address as they will use this to send you a crime number. You need this for the insurance claim.

Do not call 999 for this. It will not be considered an emergency and no-one will thank you.

There are a limited number of police front desks in London, but they are not all open 24/7.

Get your phone blocked

Contact your mobile phone operator and ask them to cancel your sim card and send a new one- this can be done via online chat on your portal (i.e. MyEE). Now, this is not easy when your phone has been taken as some information they may ask you for, such as the last bill amount or your bank account number, if you are like me, might be behind a multi-factor ID portal which you cannot access without your phone. If you are coming to London, have this information stored somewhere separate to your phone and safe (i.e. in your hotel safe).

When you register your phone to be blocked, you also need to ask for proof of blacklisting and proof of use. You need both of these for your insurance company.

Kick-start your insurance claim

Once you have your proof of use, proof of disbarment, and crime number you can register your insurance claim. Some companies need more information than others, but because this is so prevalent in London they do really rigorous checks on claims.

My claim was rejected at first as EE didn’t actually register my phone as blacklisted despite sending the letter saying they had. This was pretty stressful but shows how rigorous you need to be.

Request a new SIM Card

Most UK-based providers have shops on every high street. You can go in and get a new sim for a UK number with proof of ID (passport or driving license) on the spot. You can also order a SIM through your network online provider or by phoning customer service (if you have another phone!).

Ensure you know how to activate your new sim when it arrives – EE has a preference for texting you a code to the old sim. It took me quite a long time to explain to them why that wouldn’t work. If you really talk to them they can do it remotely but it is a faff.