BBC
Niall McNamee was scrolling through his phone on the London Underground when a thief on the platform snatched it from his hands just as the doors closed.
Two days later the 30-year-old discovered his bank accounts had been emptied of around £21,000, including a £7,000 loan taken out in his name.
“It used to be that people would steal a phone so they could sell it,” he told the BBC. “Now it seems they are stealing phones so they can access all your data and take money.”
Niall is not alone: across Britain, reports of thefts and burglaries on trains and at stations increased by 58% between 2018 and 2023, according to data from the British Transport Police (BTP) .
The force, which monitors rail and underground networks in England, Wales and Scotland, warned that December saw the highest number of reported thefts and hold-ups in recent years.
Superintendent John Loveless said during the autumn and winter months offenders operated under the “cover of darkness” to target people. “Earlier nights give people the opportunity… to offend,” he added.
BTP says there are three main “gadget capture tactics” to be wary of:
The Plucker – Thief picks up a victim who has fallen asleep in their seat and steals their phone without waking them up The Grabber – Thief watches the victim get distracted and puts their phone on a seat or table, then walks by and steals it The Snatcher – Thief stands next to the exit, waiting for the train to leave, snatches the phone from the victim's hand and runs as the doors close
London, where Niall had his phone stolen, accounted for the overwhelming majority of train theft and burglary reports last year, but outside the capital, hotspot areas included Birmingham, Kent, Essex and Manchester .
However, although reports are increasing, figures obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act suggest convictions are low.
Of the 23,683 thefts and robberies recorded in 2023, 98% did not result in what police call a “positive outcome” or conviction.
Niall, a musician and actor who has lived in London for 12 years, reported his phone stolen to the police. But he said he didn't immediately think about calling his bank or canceling his cards.
“They took everything,” he said. “My online banking showed zero…zero…zero.”
Niall explained that the thief took out a £7,000 loan in his name from HSBC, then transferred all the money to his Monzo account and then took it all. Transactions showed the thief went on a “spending spree” at an Apple Store, he added.
“It’s one of those moments where, in a second, you feel a bucket of sweat coming out of your head and you turn red,” he said.
“It was panic stations for two days. I was on the phone non-stop…and then I was pacing around the kitchen. I was just trying to get to the bottom of it.
“I have no idea how they got into any of my accounts,” he added. “It's a face ID and password protected. They managed to get a loan, which is ridiculous because I've been trying to get a loan for years and I don't qualify – d 'Somehow they succeeded.'
Tips for avoiding train theft
British Transport Police advise people to:
Be attentive and aware of what's going on around youKeep your phone out of sight when you're not using itAvoid putting valuables in your back pocket and instead use zippered pocketsRegister all your electrical devices to immoblise.comInsure Make sure you have stolen device protection enabled on your phone security settings Turn on or install a tracker on your phone, which could help find your device if it is stolen
“Your whole life is on your phone”
Uma Kumaran, Labor MP for Stratford and Bow, told the BBC her constituency had a “problem” with phone thefts and robberies.
“I had my own phone stolen,” she said. “It can happen in seconds. I had my phone in my hand for a minute, put it in my pocket and within 30 seconds someone brushed past me and took it.”
“Nowadays your whole life is in your phone… you might consider it a minor crime, but for the person it happens to… it feels like your whole life is suddenly taken away from you.”
The BBC filmed with a police task force aimed at stopping phone thieves and witnessed several arrests. One suspect had an expensive phone wrapped in foil in an attempt to block the device's signal and prevent it from being found.
A month after Niall reported his phone stolen, British Transport Police said the investigation had ended due to “a lack of CCTV evidence”.
While Monzo has reimbursed Niall around £14,000 of the stolen money, he told the BBC the fraudulent £7,000 loan had not yet been written off by HSBC.
“HSBC doesn't seem to understand that I don't have £7,000 to pay back to them… they still haven't been able to explain how a loan was taken out in my name. They don't owe me helped everything.”
HSBC has been contacted for comment.
