Criminal phone gangs ‘shoulder-surf’ passwords to access banking apps and steal thousands

Thieves use passwords to steal thousands from banking apps

A criminal gang leader has revealed how phone thieves make tens of thousands of pounds a day by “shoulder-surfing” the public to steal their pin number (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A criminal gang leader has revealed how phone thieves make tens of thousands of pounds a day by “shoulder-surfing” the public to steal their pin numbers.

Businessman and financial advisor Dave Fishwick sat down with an anonymous criminal, who is said to head up a ring of people who snatch 80 phones daily between them.

Alarmingly, the man says they can make tens of thousands in just minutes by looking over a victim’s shoulder to see their phone pin and password before snatching the handset and running.

They can then use the password to gain access to online banking apps and steal large sums of money.

In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, the masked gang leader said he had a team of four or five people working for him who bring back 18 to 20 phones per person.

Phones were most commonly snatched by teams of two on a moped or taken “out of your back pocket in a club or a pub” (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

When asked how much money the phones make him, he said £15,000 to £20,000 per day. Meanwhile, his team will make £2,500 each per day.

Mr Fishwick also asked the man: “What’s the most [money] you’ve ever seen come out of a phone? What’s the most in one go?” In reply, he said £40,000 to £50,000 “in a half-hour” by using pins to access banking apps.

He added phones were most commonly snatched by teams of two on a moped or taken “out of your back pocket in a club or a pub”.

“If a phone’s been snatched, it’s gone,” he said. “Out of your back pocket, in a club or a pub and it’s gone.”

He said the criminals don’t even need to physically bring him the devices for them to make money, just pass along details and finances to him.

The thieves will look through the phones to access finance apps and change passwords so the owner is locked out.

He explained: “The boys know now what they’ve got to do, they’ve got to look at certain apps and see if they can change certain passwords, they give me the account numbers or how much they’ve got of the account and I’ll give them the account number to send it to.”

Speaking about the interview on GMB, Mr Fishwick said: “They think they’re an entrepreneur. They think they’ve got a job. It’s like someone setting up a plumbing business, he was talking to me as if he’s got a business.

“They look over your shoulder, they’ve got your four digits and then two seconds later, gone.”

Mr Fishwick advised the public to use a smartwatch and wireless earphones rather than get their phone out to take calls.