Phone theft hotspots marked with 'blue plaques'

The "plaques" were spray painted on to City of London streets by local police to warn the public

Fake blue plaques have been spray painted on to pavements in the City of London to mark where mobile phones have been stolen.

City of London Police said the aim of the signs was to raise awareness and help reduce the £50m-a-year trade in stolen phones in the capital.

The force said it had recovered more than 1,000 stolen phones in the last two years, but said less than half could be returned because the owner could not be located.

It is advising Londoners to set up the medical ID contact on their phone, to allow police to access next of kin details if needed.

Det Sgt Marc Cananur said raising awareness was important as "it's not just about the physical device being stolen".

He said: "This is about what the criminals can get from that device afterwards.

"Fraud equates to £7k a day which then goes into organised crime group networks."

Almost 1,000 phones were stolen in the City of London in the last financial year alone

Action Fraud, the reporting service for fraud and cyber crime, reported that mobile phone fraud is becoming more widespread, with criminals most commonly gaining access to banking, cryptocurrency and credit applications.

It warned that money or funds are then transferred out of victim accounts, or purchases are made using installed applications.

As part of its crackdown on phone snatching, City of London Police said it was on a drive to take illegal e-bikes off the roads, a transport method often used by phone snatchers.

Phone thief Sonny Stringer was caught after stealing 24 mobile phones in the space of an hour, by driving an electric bike at speeds of almost 50mph (80km/h).

The force said it had seized more than 500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters since July 2023 - more than any other constabulary in the country.

City of London Police says it is not just about the physical device being stolen but what criminals can access from the phone afterwards

Advice issued by City of London Police:

• Protect sensitive data and apps with unique and different passcodes or facial recognition

• Set up two-step verification on all devices and ensure personal details such as passwords are not kept in unencrypted notes

• Tell your network provider straight away if your phone is stolen because they can blacklist and deactivate it remotely

• If you have lost money or provided your financial information to someone, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud.