This is the moment a TikToker accidentally caught a ‘serial thief’ by using a distraction technique to grab her phone from under her nose – a trick many others claim to have fallen victim to.
Aminah Ali, 25, was filming a video with a friend outside a restaurant in London earlier this month when a woman arrived ‘out of nowhere’.
The content creator claims that the lady asked for money, but as she did so, she waved a piece of paper, which she secretly dropped over Aminah’s device so she could grab it.
Aminah only realized her phone was gone a few minutes later and her “heart dropped” when her friend Iryna Leterova revealed she captured the moment the alleged thief positioned the paper so she could swipe the device.
Have you been a victim of phone chasing? Email alesia.fiddler@mailonline.co.uk
Aminah Ali (pictured), 25, was filming a video with a friend outside a restaurant in London earlier this month when a woman arrived ‘out of the blue’
The content creator claims that the lady asked for money, but as she did so, she waved a piece of paper, which she secretly dropped over Aminah’s device so she could grab it
Aminah only realized her phone was gone a few minutes later and her “heart dropped” when her friend Iryna Leterova revealed she captured the moment the alleged thief positioned the paper so she could swipe the device
Footage posted to TikTok shows a woman approaching Aminah’s table. The content creator can be seen carefully reaching for her bag but forgetting to pick up her phone, to which the alleged crook begins to place a piece of paper over it as a distraction.
In a follow-up video, Aminah delivers a strong message to help others take precautions as “your phone could be ripped out of your hand at any time.”
Dozens of TikTok users flooded the comments section to say the “same thing” had happened to them and many even recognized that the woman had allegedly pulled the same scam on them.
Other users called Aminah ‘crazy’ for leaving her phone in central London.
Aminah from London said: ‘It was just shocking how something can happen so close to you but you don’t realize it at the time.
‘Everything is happening so quickly. Even now it’s like a blur. They are very good at what they do. It can happen to anyone, even if you are aware of the situation.
‘My boyfriend was taking videos of me, so I put my phone on the table. I think the lady saw my phone was on the table and she came over to me.
‘She came out of nowhere behind a car, I was clearly a target. She looked at me for a while. My friend who was recording me stopped because the lady came into view.
Footage posted to TikTok shows a woman approaching Aminah’s table and the content creator can be seen carefully grabbing her bag but forgetting to pick up her phone, at which point the alleged crook begins putting down a piece of paper as a distraction.
Dozens of TikTok users flooded the comments section to say the ‘same thing’ happened to them and many even recognized that the woman had allegedly done the same scam to them
‘She asked me for money. Then she put the piece of paper in front of my phone, so I forgot it was there.
‘I stopped her from taking my bag without realizing my phone was still there. At that moment I just completely forgot about my phone.
“When I got up I looked around and my phone wasn’t there. My heart sank knowing she had taken it. I didn’t realize it until two or three minutes later.
‘When I watched the video back, it felt like my heart was skipping a beat. My friend who was recording didn’t know either.
‘Normally I am very aware of my surroundings. I wasn’t in a busy area. At that moment I didn’t think this would happen to me.’
Luckily, the 25-year-old was with 34-year-old Iryna, who helped her friend contact her parents and find the nearest Apple Store for help.
Aminah said: “If my friend wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be able to use her phone to reach my family.
‘Being alone in such a situation can be very frightening. I am very grateful that I was with a friend.
‘In my industry, I use my phone a lot for creating content and checking emails. Having him taken from you can feel very uncomfortable in the moment.
“I’m very preoccupied when it comes to my phone, so when it gets confiscated you really learn a lesson.”
In her video warning, she advises others to “make sure you have insurance” and explains a useful “protect against stolen devices” setting on Apple products
Aminah can be seen sitting on the table with her phone before the woman approaches
The content creator admitted the horrific experience has made her “more alert” and she wants to help others take precautions as she “didn’t realize how prominent” phone theft was in London.
In her video warning, she advises others to “make sure you have insurance” and explains a useful “protect against stolen devices” setting on Apple products.
Once enabled, additional security measures are taken when an iPhone is removed from its trusted location to prevent thieves from making changes to the device and accounts.
Aminah said: ‘As this is the first time this has happened to me, I didn’t realize how prominent this is in London. It happens all the time.
“It’s been happening for years, but I think it’s happened a lot in the last year. Now that I am in this situation, I am much more alert.
‘That’s why I posted the video, because this can happen to other people and raise awareness. Especially for people who don’t live in London.
‘I got messages from many people in different parts of Britain saying they didn’t know this existed.
‘So many people say in the comments that they recognize exactly the same lady. Some people said she stole their phones too.
“If you feel like it will never happen to you, never take precautions. It is very important to keep everything protected.
“There are many features that prevent a thief from taking your phone, but many people don’t know about them.”
The 25-year-old revealed that she reported the incident to the police and although her stolen device was not returned, she managed to get a new phone thanks to her insurance.
The 25-year-old revealed that she reported the incident to the police and although her stolen device was not returned, she managed to get a new phone thanks to her insurance
Some users called Aminah ‘crazy’ for leaving her phone in central London
Aminah said: “I came home and reported it to the police. Reporting it is very important. They won’t realize how often it really happens.
‘It took a while before I got everything back on my phone. Fortunately, thanks to the insurance, I was able to get a new phone. I want people to know how important having insurance is.”
Many users shared their similar experiences in the comments.
One user said: ‘Same thing happened to me, we felt sorry and gave her £10.’
Another user said: ‘This happened to me last year and I realized it as soon as she left and ran after her. She gave it back lol.”
A third user said: ‘This happened to me three years ago and I’m still traumatised.’
Other users criticized Aminah for leaving her phone visible on the table.
One user said: ‘Never put your phone on the table.’
Another user said: ‘Leaving your phone on the table in London is crazy.’
MailOnline has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment.
Have you been a victim of phone chasing? Email alesia.fiddler@mailonline.co.uk