Increasingly newer and more effective theft techniques mean that even a simple walk can result in losing money or your phone. Many people in London have experienced this firsthand. According to estimates, a smartphone is stolen there every 6 minutes. But that’s not all.
Someone Used Her Bank Card. The Problem Is, She Had It on Her
When Kemi was exploring London, she discovered that someone had used her card to pay $210 (over 800 zł) at a luxury restaurant. Importantly, the card had never physically left her wallet, as she still had it with her, meaning it was likely copied. Kemi suspects this happened while she was making a donation to a charity on the street, or someone skimmed her card on the subway or in a café. Security footage shows the thief buying takeout, paying with the copied card, and then leaving.
How Does Skimming Work? The Police Warn
The situation Kemi encountered was most likely skimming, a crime the Polish police had already warned about in 2021.
Skimming is the illegal copying of the magnetic stripe data on a payment card without the cardholder’s knowledge, in order to create a duplicate and make unauthorized payments for goods and services or withdrawals from ATMs. Currently, skimming also targets chip cards
– reads a statement on mazowiecka.policja.gov.pl. Since the copied card is recognized as original by electronic banking systems, all transactions are charged to the rightful cardholder.
How to Protect Yourself from Skimming? Here’s What to Remember
Your card can be copied when using an ATM or card reader equipped with special devices to extract data from the magnetic stripe or chip. For this reason, it's better not to use suspicious or unfamiliar devices, and in the case of ATMs, opt for those located in banks. The risk of tampering is much lower there. For contactless payment cards, it’s wise to keep them in a special case that protects against unauthorized scanning by thieves.
What to Remember When Flying to London? Keep Your Phone Close
Skimming isn't the only risk you may face during a visit to England. In addition, thieves are effectively and frequently stealing phones, but in this case, they aren't using sophisticated methods. The trick is simple: they approach unsuspecting people using their phones on motorcycles or scooters, snatch the phone out of their hand, and speed away. According to a report from metro.uk, the stolen devices are often sent abroad, mainly to the Chinese city of Shenzhen.
Statistics show that from March 2023 to March 2024, as many as 78,000 phones were stolen in this way on British streets. In London alone, such an incident happens every 6 minutes. There are numerous videos online capturing this type of theft. Therefore, when walking around the city, avoid holding your phone in your hand, and if you must use it, make sure you’re in a safe place.
