Criminal gangs are increasingly hopping onto social media to recruit children for daytime phone thefts, dangling fast cash as bait. Vulnerable young people are being drawn into these circles with offers of up to £380 ($486) for every stolen device, often before they fully grasp the risks.
Police are raising the alarm because this kind of street crime is acting as a fast track into serious gang involvement. Metropolitan Police leaders demand immediate action from technology manufacturers to render these stolen devices useless.
