Thief’s smooth move as he fled with phone

Teresa Wrigglesworth who works at new Oldham business 'Smooth Moves' had her iPhone stolen from her desk

A BUSINESSWOMAN has been left devastated after a member of staff’s mobile phone was brazenly stolen from her desk only two days after she moved the company’s office to Oldham town centre.

Teresa Wrigglesworth’s iPhone 4 was taken from her desk at estate agent Smooth Moves, Yorkshire Street, after a man masquerading as a Positive Steps Oldham representative cunningly swiped it while handing out leaflets.

Smooth Moves manager Jayne Strang (37) says she has been left questioning her decision to move her business into the town centre, having spent the last two years in Hollinwood.

Jayne moved the office, which she runs with her mother, Trish Strang, and right-hand woman, Teresa, into Yorkshire Street only last Wednesday. Two days later, an Asian man dressed in black walked into the office, appearing to hand out leaflets for Positive Steps Oldham.

Jayne said: “They were genuine flyers which you would look at if you were going to volunteer with the service, so we didn’t think anything of it.”

As he placed the leaflets down on Teresa’s desk, he covered her phone but distracted her attention by pointing at the leaflet and mumbling, claiming he couldn’t speak English.

Using the technique as a ruse, he quickly took the phone and fled.

Jayne explained that as soon as he left, colleague Teresa realised what the opportunist had done. They called the phone straight away, but it had already been turned off, so contacted the police.

A phone was also recently taken from The Open Fire Centre a few doors down from Smooth Moves, but it is not known if the incidents are connected.

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