Danielle Spencer has warned visitors to London to stay vigilant after revealing her new phone was stolen by a pickpocket during a sightseeing trip to the capital.
The Australian actress, 57, said the device was taken from her handbag while she was enjoying a holiday in England earlier this month.
“London! Had a lovely time, but I don't have a lot of footage because a pickpocket stole my (new) phone,” she wrote on Instagram.
The former Home and Away star, who was previously married to actor Russell Crowe, urged tourists to take extra care with their belongings.
“Ladies, zip up your bags. Gents, don't carry your phone (or your money) in your back pocket,” she wrote. “If you find yourself in that neck of the woods, it's a bit of an issue there.
“Unfortunately I forgot, and left the pocket of my bag unzipped... didn't feel a thing.”
Her followers quickly shared similar experiences, with several warning about the growing problem of phone thefts in the capital.
One person wrote: “I was warned many times to be careful and not to FaceTime there as they swipe it out of your hand from their scooter.”
“We were in London for two weeks and were super vigilant because a year ago my phone was taken from my zipped-up crossbody bag by a sweet-looking fake pregnant woman,” another commented.
A third said they attached their phone to a retractable cord while visiting London, while another advised travellers to wear crossbody bags across the front of their body rather than carrying backpacks.
Spencer's experience comes as London continues to battle a surge in phone thefts. Westminster remains the worst-affected borough, with Marylebone among the capital's most notorious hotspots.
Police figures show almost a third of all phone thefts reported in London last year occurred in Westminster, ahead of Camden, Southwark and Hackney.
She is also not the only celebrity to be a victim to London crime.
Last year, Jenson Button's wife has £250,000 worth of jewellery and bags stolen outside St Pancras Station while Susan Hampshire, 87, had her phone and purse stolen on the Tube.
In February, it was reported that Tom Cruise left his £35million Knightsbridge apartment because he believed the area is no longer safe.
According to The Daily Mail, the Mission: Impossible actor quit the central London penthouse after hammer and machete-wielding robbers targeted a nearby Rolex store for luxury watches.
Staff were seen last month packing and removing boxes of possessions from the Hollywood actor’s flat overlooking Hyde Park.
It is claimed Cruise planned to return to the United States or was looking for properties in the Cotswolds, but he has not confirmed this.
