A Londoner has devised an ingenious way to stop moped phone snatchers dead in their tracks - and it involves 'fish paste'.
Comedian Maddie Campion tried to trick gadget thieves in the capital by filling an empty case with taramasalata before walking around with the 'phone' out.
She said she hoped snatchers who thought they had nabbed a new phone were left with 'fishy hands'.
In a video posted on TikTok, Maddie said: 'Having your phone snatched in London is a major fear but what if instead of being scared of losing your phone, phone snatchers were scared of grabbing a phone case that is filled with fish paste?
'This is a solution, not the solution but imagine them thinking they will get a new phone but oh no they're getting fishy hands.
'No one likes the smell of fish and they always are wearing gloves. Take that you robbing rascals.
'Yeah it might not solve the problem but it does change the power dynamic, doesn't it? Buy your own phone fish hands.'
It comes as London is in the grips of a phone snatching 'epidemic' with thieves grabbing mobiles out of people's hands.
The most common tactic used by criminals is to whizz past on an e-bike or moped and take the phone while their victim is distracted.
Figures show that Westminster is the worst area in London for the crime with a shocking 22,253 incidents reported in the year leading up to September 2024.
One shocking video from earlier this year shows the moment a thief on a bike snatches a victim's phone from her hands in broad daylight at a bus stop in central London.
In the video, a cyclist dressed all in black rides up to a group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London's West End.
The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman's hands and speeds off.
In April, horrifying footage was shared on social media of a thief on a bike grabbing a woman's mobile phone from her hands in Albany Place, Marylebone.
The clip was uploaded with the caption: 'Keep your head on swivel when in London.'
The victim is seen in the video attempting to chase after the offender while calling out: 'Hey, come back here.'
Another cyclist in a balaclava had passed by her in the seconds beforehand.
Similarly in March, two masked thieves were seen snatching a phone and fleeing on their bikes in Hampstead, north London - before crashing into an oncoming car.
Terrified locals have spoken out against the problem with Paul, who works by the London Eye, saying: 'I see it [phone snatching] all the time. I would say every day.
'It's worst around this touristy part of London - particularly along Westminster Bridge.
'It happens to tourists a lot because they're unaware. I try to warn them but it doesn't always work.
'One time, a family asked someone to take a photo of them in front of the London Eye.
'And the guy they chose ran off with their phone.
Comedian Maddie Campion tried to trick gadget thieves in the capital by filling an empty case with taramasalata before walking around with the 'phone' out.
She said she hoped snatchers who thought they had nabbed a new phone were left with 'fishy hands'.
In a video posted on TikTok, Maddie said: 'Having your phone snatched in London is a major fear but what if instead of being scared of losing your phone, phone snatchers were scared of grabbing a phone case that is filled with fish paste?
'This is a solution, not the solution but imagine them thinking they will get a new phone but oh no they're getting fishy hands.
'No one likes the smell of fish and they always are wearing gloves. Take that you robbing rascals.
'Yeah it might not solve the problem but it does change the power dynamic, doesn't it? Buy your own phone fish hands.'
It comes as London is in the grips of a phone snatching 'epidemic' with thieves grabbing mobiles out of people's hands.
The most common tactic used by criminals is to whizz past on an e-bike or moped and take the phone while their victim is distracted.
Figures show that Westminster is the worst area in London for the crime with a shocking 22,253 incidents reported in the year leading up to September 2024.
One shocking video from earlier this year shows the moment a thief on a bike snatches a victim's phone from her hands in broad daylight at a bus stop in central London.
In the video, a cyclist dressed all in black rides up to a group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London's West End.
The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman's hands and speeds off.
In April, horrifying footage was shared on social media of a thief on a bike grabbing a woman's mobile phone from her hands in Albany Place, Marylebone.
The clip was uploaded with the caption: 'Keep your head on swivel when in London.'
The victim is seen in the video attempting to chase after the offender while calling out: 'Hey, come back here.'
Another cyclist in a balaclava had passed by her in the seconds beforehand.
Similarly in March, two masked thieves were seen snatching a phone and fleeing on their bikes in Hampstead, north London - before crashing into an oncoming car.
Terrified locals have spoken out against the problem with Paul, who works by the London Eye, saying: 'I see it [phone snatching] all the time. I would say every day.
'It's worst around this touristy part of London - particularly along Westminster Bridge.
'It happens to tourists a lot because they're unaware. I try to warn them but it doesn't always work.
'One time, a family asked someone to take a photo of them in front of the London Eye.
'And the guy they chose ran off with their phone.
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NewsTranscript
00:00A LONDONER HAS DEVISED AN INGENIOUS WAY TO STOP MOPED PHONE SNATCHERS DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS
00:11AND IT INVOLVES FISH PASTE. Comedian Maddy Campion tried to trick gadget
00:15thieves in the capital by filling an empty case with Terra Masalata before walking around
00:20with the phone out. She said she hoped snatchers who thought they had nabbed a new phone were
00:24left with fishy hands. In a video posted on TikTok, Maddy said,
00:29Having your phone snatched in London is a major fear but what if instead of being scared
00:33of losing your phone, phone snatchers were scared of grabbing a phone case that is filled
00:37with fish paste? This is a solution, not the solution but imagine them thinking they will
00:42get a new phone but oh no they're getting fishy hands. No one likes the smell of fish
00:46and they always are wearing gloves. It comes as London is in the grips of a phone snatching
00:51epidemic with thieves grabbing mobiles out of people's hands.
00:55The most common tactic used by criminals is to was passed on an e-bike or moped and
00:59take the phone while their victim is distracted. One shocking video from earlier this year
01:04shows the moment a thief on a bike snatches a victim's phone from her hands in broad
01:08daylight at a bus stop in central London. In the video, a cyclist dressed all in black
01:13rides up to a group of people standing near the Curzon Cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in
01:17London's West End.