A serial thief is targeting London gym goers and emptying their bank accounts, a BBC Radio 4 investigation has found.
You and Yours journalist Shari Vahl has spoken to several women with nearly identical experiences, all of which included losing many thousands of pounds.
Vahl shared his findings with Met Police, which had previously closed a number of individual investigations, to show that the cases could be linked.
Now the force will reopen the investigation.
What happens?
The similarities in each of the cases seem striking: female victims who put their belongings in a locker at a popular gym chain, only to return to find their phones and cards taken. Several high-value purchases have been made, in the same stores. The thief also treats himself to a fast food.
One victim, Alina, had her items stolen from a Virgin gym on Finchley Road last month. The thief spent around £10,000 at Harrods and the Covent Garden Apple store. They tried to spend another £10,000 after Alina blocked their cards. They used their money for food and taxis and took cash out of ATMs and changed access to their accounts.
The same stores appear over and over again.
Harriet had her locker broken into at a GymBox in town. Within 90 minutes, some £7,500 had been spent at Selfridges, Apple, Balenciaga and Harrods.
Charlotte spent £8,000 of her money while working out at a gym in Chiswick, after the thief transferred her savings to her checking account and went shopping on Oxford Street.
Alicia and a gym buddy experienced the same thing, with their money spent at the same high-end stores. Lauren had her account emptied while she was swimming in Putney. Kirsty was attacked in a gym in Mill Hill and Miriam in Notting Hill.
How is it done and who does it?
How is it done and who is doing it?
Phones, of course, can be made inaccessible with the use of passwords and face or fingerprint unlocking. And bank cards can be stopped.
But the thief has a method that circumnavigates those basic security protocols.
Once they have the phone and the card, they register the card in the appropriate bank’s app on their own phone or computer. Since this is the first time that card will be used on the new device, a unique security access code is required.
That verification code is sent by the bank to the stolen phone. The code flashes on the stolen phone’s locked screen, allowing the thief to tap it on their own device. Once accepted, they have control of the bank account. They can transfer money or purchase goods, or change account access.
It is possible that the perpetrator is a woman and operates alone.
The method of entry indicates that it is someone who can walk without arousing suspicion in the women’s locker rooms.
The stores are the same every time.
It seems that the thief has a system and is an expert in using it.
Protect yourself
You and Yours journalist Shari Vahl emphasized that phones and cards should never be left together.
The most effective solution is also, for many, the least feasible: going to the gym without valuables.
Vahl says the most important tip is to never leave your phone and card together, “and certainly never keep your card in your phone case.” If the thief does not have both, he is limited in what he can do.
Apart from that, the best way to stop this particular thief and this particular method is to make sure that they cannot read the verification code sent by the bank. This is done in your phone settings:
Access and identification
Entering the gyms in the capital can be quite simple. Most chains, including Virgin Active, PureGym and GymBox, have membership options where the holder can use one pass for multiple facilities. Any would-be thief could become a member and enter any locker room without a problem. There is no one at the gate to refer to the face or name of the pass holder.
Shari Vahl said she is aware that gym passes are highly prized by criminals, who use stolen ones to gain access to locker rooms.
For example, the anonymity provided by a 24-hour gym might be a good place to store illegal items in a locker, which can then be picked up by someone else.
Once a person is in the locker room, they don’t have to be particularly cautious.
Mike Salt is an independent locksmith and security expert. As he points out, the gym will undoubtedly have security cameras but due to privacy restrictions they will not be at the crime scene – a locker room.
Another problem is that people in locker rooms, for the most part, aren’t very attentive, Smith said.
“Often, in fact, they take precautions to remain inconspicuous and give people privacy while changing clothes or wandering around in various states of undress. Few people stay in changing rooms long enough to notice people milling about and People struggling to open their locks is a relatively normal sight. Strollers aren’t that unusual either, with some people treating the gym more like a social club than a place to work out.
“With a lot of foot traffic, it’s hard to tell who doesn’t belong. With a location like a gym, you’re also dealing with a diverse crowd. Everyone is at different fitness levels. And the outfit you need to wear to blend in is also very simple.
“As long as someone isn’t wearing jeans or pants, people are likely to think they have a right to be there. Most people are strangers you wouldn’t recognize, so gym patrons assume the default position of assuming that everyone around them around are legitimately there. .”
Targets
One notable feature of the recent flood of victims is that they have had enough money in their accounts for the thief to spend significant amounts.
Salt said the thieves had several ways to select their targets.
A criminal could spot someone, such as a woman who has expensive jewelry that she takes off to exercise. Valuable goods and a regular routine are attractive to this type of thief.
“Criminals like this just wait until the time is right. They are patient and often take the time to gather the right materials to execute the robbery more accurately. The more you have, the more prepared criminals will be when they come to attack.” take it.”
As for getting into a gym locker, Salt said the most likely way was with a wedge, a thin metal device that can be inserted into a lock and pry it open.
What to do if you are a victim
Most banks will refund money stolen by fraud if they can’t prove you were negligent, for example by typing in your access code.
Of the women featured at the beginning of this article, Alina said, “I suffer from generalized anxiety and insomnia, as well as migraines. The way the police and card companies handled this incident to investigate it caused me a lot of stress and a profound effect on me.” detrimental to my mental health.
Harriet said: “I was lucky to get all the money back relatively quickly, but unfortunately I had a new phone (three days old) that I hadn’t insured yet, so I lost £800.”
Alicia said, “The only reason Halifax thought I hadn’t written down my PIN was because the thief moved money between my accounts while I was on the phone with the bank. Fortunately, the other woman also did banking with Halifax, so we combine our reports.”
Charlotte had to fight to get her money back. Her bank finally recognized that she was not at fault, refunded her money and apologized.
What are the police doing?
A Met spokesman said: “We have been made aware of a series of similar crimes where property was stolen from gym lockers and bank cards were used to make fraudulent purchases.
“Each offense is now being re-evaluated and, where appropriate, will be investigated as part of a linked series.
“Victims in each case will be contacted by officers and provided updates as the investigation progresses.”
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