My phone was stolen after my work Christmas party – but my nightmare was just beginning when the thief hacked my Ring camera to watch and taunt me INSIDE my home

A robbery victim had his iPhone stolen after a work Christmas party before waking up to the sound of the thief taunting him through his Ring camera.

Michael, a technology manager from east London, felt 'violated' when he heard the criminal say 'Michael, Michael' as he lay in bed with black eyes.

The 33-year-old later discovered the thief had hacked his phone and used his credit card to blow £600 worth of JD Sports, Asda and Uber credits.

The bumbling crook even changed his Gmail password before providing a recovery email address that apparently included his own name.

Michael told MailOnline: 'I initially thought it was a joke but it took me three or five seconds to realize who it was.

'The realization that he could talk to me and see me in my bed – my most personal space – was so violating. I had never experienced anything like this before.

'He started saying 'wake up' and making rude comments. It took about two minutes before I could disconnect the cameras.'

Michael, who works for a leading media company and asked that his full name not be used, had enjoyed a Christmas night out with colleagues in central London on Tuesday, December 19.

At 2.45am he was in Leicester Square trying to get an Uber home with his iPhone 15 Pro – which costs up to £1,200 new.

Describing what happened next, he said: 'I was trying to get a taxi so I had my iPhone in one hand before someone suddenly took it away from me.

'My first reaction was confusion. I didn't realize what was happening until the person who took him had turned the corner, nowhere to be seen.'

The director was forced to get a lift from another member of his team to get to his home in Bethnal Green.

“I went to sleep before being woken up around 10am by the sound of someone saying 'Michael, Michael,'” he said.

“He was trying to sound scary. Then he started saying 'wake up'. It seemed like a relatively standard London accent. It was difficult to estimate his nationality.

'I was screaming 'give me my phone back' – I tried everything I could and was confused, mainly because I had a hangover from hell.

'My apartment is small and has two rooms, so I went from my bedroom to the living room, but he kept talking to me and asking what I was doing.

“He probably guessed my password and logged into my Ring camera, which I use to monitor my dog ​​when I'm away. His voice only stopped when I disconnected the cameras.'

Michael started calling his bank and credit card providers and discovered that the thief had spent £400 on Uber credits, £100 on Asda and a further £100 on JD Sports.

“At that point he had changed every password I had, so I couldn't access my Apple ID or emails,” he said.

'I had to go to the nearest EE store and spend a few hours switching off my old phone and setting up a new one.

'It wasn't until Christmas Day when I finally got access to everything again. You keep your whole life on your phone.”

Michael reported the incident to police via an online form, but was told there was no CCTV footage of the thief.

He even managed to find the crook's email in which he had apparently given his own name – Ali Hassan – but was told the case would be closed.

“When the robber changed my Gmail password, he entered his own email address as the recovery address, including his name,” Michael said.

'I told the police about this, but they said geolocating an email address was not possible.

'They said there was no CCTV on the street – which was surprising – and it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

'I thought it was a decent response as I got a call back from the police within 24 hours.

'If I had been of sound mind that night, I would have tried to find the police there. I just got a taxi home.

“I was always aware that it would be very difficult to take action unless they took a facial image of the criminals.”

Michael described the incident as 'horrible' and remained concerned that the thief could still have access to some of his private data.

“It wasn't enough to take £600 or more from me, they wanted to rub salt on the wound and rape it while they were at home,” he said.

'The whole experience was terrible. I was filled with a mix of anger and regret.”

A Met spokesperson said: 'On Wednesday 20 December, police received a report of the theft of a mobile phone in Leicester Square at around 2.45am on Sunday 17 December.

'After assessing whether there were viable investigative leads, including possible CCTV, the decision was made to close the investigation. The victim was informed of this.

“Any further information that comes to light will be assessed and investigated accordingly.”