A man had his phone stolen by a scooter thief who also took his picture - using it as Face ID to get a £23k loan.

Craig Gilmour, 38, was on a call on holiday in Benidorm when the criminal snatched his iPhone 15 Pro.

He believes the thief then took a screen-shot of him from the phone and sent it to another device and used it to access Craig's bank accounts and passwords.

Craig's accounts were emptied of nearly £1k within hours and the thief also 
organised a £23k loan - and managed to spend more than £6k of it.

Lloyds Bank then told him he had to pay back the money spent and wouldn't be able to recover his stolen £1k.

Craig says the bank said it was because of what appeared to be a miss-match between his claim and their records.

But after further investigation and Craig contacting the financial ombudsman the loan has been written off and the bank payed £885 into his account to replace his own stolen funds.

ACCOUNT: £23K bank loan deposited into Craig Gilmour's account after his phone was stolen by a thief who accessed his banking accounts.ACCOUNT: £23K bank loan deposited into Craig Gilmour's account after his phone was stolen by a thief who accessed his banking accounts. (Image: Craig Gilmour)

Dad-of-one Craig, who works in construction, from Rowley Regis near Birmingham,  said: "The whole thing has left me really worried and shaken.

"We keep so much on our phones and they just aren't that safe.

"I never in a million years dreamed anyone could get into my bank account.

"I'm still absolutely baffled by it. I really thought the banking app would be safe.

"I've always had a good time in Benidorm but this visit it felt very different.

"Everywhere people were talking about having stuff stolen - mostly purses and phones.

"People tell the police but they just aren't interested.

"If you're travelling, I'd delete all banking apps and anything you don't want someone else to get hold of from your phone, or take a different cheap phone you can just use for phone calls.

TARGET: Craig Gilmour was on holiday in Benidorm with friends when he was targeted by phone thievesTARGET: Craig Gilmour was on holiday in Benidorm with friends when he was targeted by phone thieves (Image: Craig Gilmour)

"I was so surprised how easy it is to become a victim to this crime, and also how easily they accessed everything on my phone - I had to change all my passwords."

Craig goes to Benidorm at least once a year - he and his mates flew there for a week on May 9.

He was getting directions from a friend as he walked along the seafront on May 14 when the thief whizzed by on an e-scooter and grabbed his phone.

He hoped the phone would automatically lock when the call ended after it had been stolen.

Craig saw a police car and reported the theft to officers but says they didn't take any details.

His right knee and arm had been badly grazed when he slipped and fell to the ground during the robbery and he was in shock.

"He was so fast I hardly even saw him," Craig said. 

"I was just left in shock, and disbelief, and so angry - it just didn't feel real."

Craig says he knew his phone was being used when a friend told him the next morning that messages to their WhatsApp group were being read on Craig's phone.

Craig and his pals messaged his phone offering €100 to get it back.

But the thief replied saying they'd only give it up if he payed €3,000 into an account.

Craig tried to lock the phone via his iPad but said the verification codes kept being sent to the phone and the thief changed the passwords on his email account.

Craig then called his bank but the damage had been done.

One Lloyds account had been emptied of £900 and £70 from the other, Craig claims.

The thief had applied for a £23,000 loan and had spent or transferred £6,800 of it.

They had also got £3,000 credit on Craig's Paypal account and donated £128 to GoFundMe pages.

Craig contacted Paypal who reversed the credit and took back the payments immediately, he said.

But initially he says Lloyds Bank insisted Craig payed back the loan money in full and said they couldn't give back his own money - because they said aspects of the claim did not appear to match with their records.

Craig had a Natwest account on the phone which he said the thieves weren't able to access.

He appealed the decision from Lloyds bank and went to the financial ombudsman, who found in his favour.

Lloyds has now written off the loan and payed £885 in to his account to replace his stolen money, and they gave him £150 in compensation.

Craig said: "It's just a joke, £150 compensation is insulting after everything they put me through.

"I was absolutely panicking about this - I couldn't sleep properly after they said I'd have to pay it back.

"I was so scared they would send bailiffs and take my van - then I wouldn't be able to work.

"I don't understand why Lloyds couldn't have responded the way Paypal did.

"I still can't believe Lloyds agreed a loan without speaking to me or asking for my pin.''

A Lloyds bank spokesperson said: “We carefully review the individual circumstances of all fraud claims raised by our customers and we’re sorry Mr Gilmour was the victim of this crime.

"This was a complex case with a number of unusual factors and, when first reported to us, certain aspects of the claim did not appear to match with our records.

"However, as a result of our further investigation, we’re now able to agree that the loan application was made fraudulently and have written off the outstanding amount.”