Martin Lewis has said he and his wife Lara Lewington were left “shaken” after a moped swerved to the curb and a passenger snatched her phone.
The financial expert, who is a regular on ITV’s This Morning and the founder of the website Money Saving Expert, said the stolen property was returned to them after a cyclist found the phone in the road.
He wrote on Twitter: “Last night a moped swerved to the curb & passenger snatched Mrs MSE’s mobile.
Last night a moped swerved to the curb & passenger snatched Mrs MSE's mobile. Shaken, I called police to report. 15mins later a kind cyclist called, he'd found it in road. We got it back. Full info https://t.co/ovCeI6nxCZ #irony thieves dump tech journo's phone as not gd enuff
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) September 8, 2020
“Shaken, I called police to report. 15mins later a kind cyclist called, he’d found it in road. We got it back.”
He added: “#irony thieves dump tech journo’s phone as not gd enuff.”
Lewington, who is the presenter of BBC technology show Click, said the incident happened while the couple were out walking, but did not specify where.
She shared a photo of the phone’s cracked screen on Instagram and said she was so focused on wearing a mask and hand sanitising that she had forgotten to be vigilant.
However, she added she was grateful she had such an old model of iPhone that it was not desirable to the thief.
She wrote on Instagram: “Smashed after motorbike snatch and grab theft, but not so smashing it seems – I got it back.
“Last night whilst out walking, a motorcycle swerved at speed, and the pillion rider grabbed my phone out of my hand. As I felt someone behind me, for a split second I’d thought it was an accident happening and hoped the person was okay, then by the time I could turn around my phone was gone – with terrifying pace and accuracy.
“So focussed on mask and hand sanitising these days, I guess I’d forgotten to be so vigilant about this.
“Obviously I was immediately grateful not to be hurt, and that my daughter wasn’t there to witness it – just a bit gutted I’d lost so many photos after a series of inexplicable backup fails.
“After my husband called the police (whilst I mentally figured out the frustrating and time consuming admin I’d need to do), shockingly via a call ‘home’ he got a message from a kind cyclist who had found the phone minutes later (thieves had dumped it) – and despite how damaged it was, and the coronavirus risk, had picked it up and tried to find its owner.”
Lewington said they arranged to meet the cyclist in a busy place and managed to get the phone back.
She added: “The moral of the story? Have an old smartphone that not even a thief thinks is worth having.”