Phone snatchers beware: Maddie Campion has an unconventional way of making sure her device never leaves her side.
The comedy writer, originally from the UK, said she was sick of seeing people’s phones stolen every day during her commute to work.
Her solution to this was simple: “Fight crime with chaos.”
A woman shared a genius, albeit bewildering, hack to stop phone snatchers
Highlights
- Maddie Campion uses taramasalata on her phone to deter snatchers.
- She tested her hack at busy London locations with no theft attempts.
- Data shows phone theft is rising in London with 90,864 stolen in 2022.
Image credits: fashiongurumaddie
In an interview with Metro, Maddie revealed that she smothers her phone case with taramasalata — a dip consisting of bread/potatoes, olive oil, and lemon juice — in an attempt to teach thieves a lesson.
“I thought to myself, ‘What would a gloved phone snatcher find really irritating?’” she told the outlet.
Thus, her hilarious idea came to fruition.
“I originally wanted to use fish paste to make it as smelly as possible, but inflation meant taramasalata was the next best choice,” she said.
Image credits: Tim Douglas/Pexels (Not the actual photo)
To put her hack to the test, she stood at the crossroads of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus back in October, observing any bystanders who looked keen on taking her phone.
“I like to think I showed them who is boss and put the fear of fish into them, but I do think there were a few arrests just two days before I stood there,” Maddie shared.
She encourages other viewers to try similar hacks — as long as it doesn’t put anyone in danger
Image credits: fashiongurumaddie
Now that the UK native is living in Florida, she’s hoping to use the trick more often but is well aware of the risks at play.
“I think it’s great to inconvenience these people,” she said. “There’s no phone snatching out here in the US, but I wouldn’t want to try it anyway in case they had a gun.”
Maddie had previously considered covering her case with barbed wire before she understood that “fight[ing] crime with crime” was a dangerous gamble.
“Someone told me I could get really injured and they may spot the dip on the case before reaching me,” she stated. “But they are going so fast on the e-bikes I highly doubt they would notice.”
Image credits: fashiongurumaddie
Comments adored Maddie’s creative take.
One person joked, “Just imagine that you get a call and put this to your ear instead 😂”
Another penned, “I used to work literally in the outernet at that junction where you are. I love this idea because the phone snatching has got out of hand!!”
Data shows this kind of petty theft is on the rise in London
Image credits: fashiongurumaddie
According to the BBC, the Met police say 90,864 phones — almost 250 a day — were stolen in 2022. That accounts for one device every six minutes.
Out of the 78,000 people who had small personal belongings stolen from them, such as phones or bags, 74% were located in London.
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