Ghanaians have been warned about a concerning new tactic employed by thieves and robbers to steal mobile phones from unsuspecting individuals.
According to reports from social media users who have been targeted, the modus operandi involves robbers approaching people under false pretenses, requesting to use their phones for a call, and then fleeing with the stolen devices.
Among those affected is well-known Ghanaian media personality, Gifty Bingley, who shared her encounter in a Facebook post dated December 30, 2023.
“Please exercise caution. This morning, as I jogged, a man in a Mercedes persistently honked and drove dangerously close. He stopped, pleading that his phone battery was dead and he urgently needed to make a call to inform someone that he was on his way.
“I hesitated for a second, then empathised, thinking I could be in a similar situation if I were driving without my car charger. I offered him my iPhone. Regrettably, I overlooked a critical warning sign: his car’s running engine. After unlocking my phone and handing it to him, the first thing he did was switch off my location service and speed off. Everything happened so fast, I couldn’t shout. Please be careful out there and exercise caution in your empathy and kindness. A Mercedes… like, how?”
Another individual, Omy Bae, recounted in a post dated January 11, 2024, how her phone was stolen using a similar method.
“Last night my phone( 14pro max) was snatched from me and they drove the car over me at the ARS to American house stretch around 6 to 7 p.m.
“He is dark skin, chubby, and has a beard, mine looked like a Hyundai 4*4 / a Honda CRV, light blue/ashy, but listening to people, he uses Civic as well, he’s with his friends, the cars are not registered and with no DV plate.
“He will either ask you for direction like he did to me or start a Snapchat conversation. Y’all be careful out there, Ghana is not safe anymore. They are doing it to both men and women. Don’t be too nice or smile to anybody,” she posted on Facebook.
Source; Tigpost
