A HAIR salon owner has released footage of the moment a thief stole her £800 mobile from just 12 inches in front of her.
The criminal managed to distract the woman by pointing to his eyebrows while placing a newspaper over the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Viewers of the clip have claimed the same man is targeting salons using the technique across a large area of Merseyside and Cheshire.
The hair salon owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she didn’t even realise her mobile was gone until 30 minutes after the theft.
The daughter of the woman posted CCTV footage of the theft to social media, writing; “This man came into my mum’s salon in Chester. This man puts his newspaper over my mum’s phone and robs it!
“Apparently he has been going around all different salons robbing people’s hard earned things. Share this and catch this scumbag!”
The video shows a man walking into the salon with a newspaper in hand. He tries to speak to the owner who is behind the counter on the phone taking another call. Her mobile can be seen on her desk.
The man points at his eyebrows while subtly placing the newspaper over her phone.
The owner puts the phone down and says to the man: “I couldn’t talk to you and them on the phone.”
The thief backs away with the owner’s phone under the newspaper.
Bev Mattisson responded online: “I shared a post of him last week. It is same guy He’s foreign apparently and was in Wallasey last week, must be driving round.”
Jane Isaac added: “Something similar happened on the Wirral and went up on Crimewatch Wirral. I wonder if it’s other businesses too. Someone must know him as the images are very clear.”
Michelle Rolfe manager of Just 4 Men in Wallasey, Merseyside also ran into the crook who tried the same tactic.
She posted last week saying “This vile creature came into my shop yesterday (February 7th) and tried to rob me, but didn’t get anything and told him to go. He has robbed purses and phones out of salons in Wallasey. He comes in speaking very quickly and aggressively in a foreign language holding a newspaper in his hand.”
The salon owner in the clip said today: “He came in with his newspaper and kept pointing to his bushy eyebrows. He was making me look at his eyebrows so he could get my phone.”
She added: “I get customers who text me for appointments, and I’ve lost customers because of it. I use my phone to advertise my salon by taking pictures of customers hair. I can’t believe it. I only just got this phone two months ago.”
A spokeswoman for Cheshire Police said: “At 9.44am on Thursday 14 February police received a report of a theft of a mobile phone inside a hairdressers in Chester on 13 February at 4pm. Enquiries remain ongoing and anyone with any information is asked to call Cheshire Police on 101 quoting IML 321707.”
