Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

‘Highway robbers’ mugging victims and plundering their banking apps

‘Highway robbers’ mugging victims and plundering their banking apps

Police are warning people of a terrifying new form of highway robbery in which people are mugged in the street and forced to transfer money from their digital banking apps.

Violent thieves send the money to “mule accounts”, often purchased from cash-strapped students, and then quickly exchange the proceeds into cryptocurrency, which cannot be easily traced.

Scotland Yard has investigated a spate of offences that have left victims traumatised.

It is thought the thugs carrying out the actual robberies are being directed by organised crime groups further up the chain who have control of the bank accounts. In order to avoid being traced, the gangs send the money to accounts held by so-called “mules”.

These are often purchased from students, with criminals offering to pay off overdrafts, in exchange for access to account numbers, sort codes and PIN numbers.

Teenage gang members – similar to those used by county lines drug dealers – will identify victims and carry out the robbery.

North London attack


In one recent case, a man in his 20s was attacked as he walked home from a pub in north London and was dragged into an alleyway and threatened by two men.

The victim, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals, said his ordeal lasted for 15 minutes and left him extremely shaken.

He said while one of the pair threatened him, the other one made a phone call and appeared to be taking instructions.

After forcing him to open his smartphone banking app, the men then checked his bank balance before instructing him to transfer £10,000 into another account.

Once the transaction had gone through, the terrified victim was released and contacted the police and his bank.

He said the detectives dealing with his case had said they were aware of a number of similar attempted robberies and police have warned that it could be an emerging crime trend.

Fortunately, the transaction was stopped and he did not lose any money, but fraud experts have warned that the banking system is vulnerable to such attacks.

Criminals exploit online banking vulnerability


Jake Moore, a former cybercrime prevention officer with Dorset Police, who now works with the digital security firm ESET, said: “You would not think this crime would be possible because it ought to be easy to see where the money is going, stop the transaction and arrest the beneficiary.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
×