I was the victim of a simple theft today. I had just sat down with a work colleague for a quick coffee catch-up in a central London Starbucks, placed my iPhone 4 on the table in front of me, took a sip of coffee and then a chap appeared beside me pointing at a leaflet and mumbled incoherently.

My first thought was that I had taken his seat and he'd just returned from the loo, then as he continued to mumble and point at his leaflet which by now he had placed on the table, I concluded that he was someone with learning difficulties trying to sell us something or beg. We politely expressed disinterest and he then left.

About a minute later I noticed my phone was gone, and quickly calculated that he'd lifted the iPhone as he removed his leaflet off the table, but by then leaflet guy was long gone. So I quickly dialled up the Find My iPhone app on my iPad and tried to locate the phone, but the evil magician dude had switched it off, so I initiated the remote wipe process. I reported it to the duty manager who moments later was able to replay the event on his CCTV recording. He let me use the store phone to call the Met Police to report it, then O2 to block the SIM and claim a replacement on insurance.

Lessons:

Don't leave iPhones or valuables on tables, even in if they're in your full view. Particularly in open seating places like coffee shops where people are free to wander in and out. It's probably less likely in a restaurant with table service.
If you fail to observe the above rule, make sure the moment someone approaches you in public - specifically bearing a newspaper or leaflet in a busy coffee shop - that you grab your phone and valuables before engaging said stranger.

It was a classic misdirection robbery and he was obviously experienced. In fact he was that good I pondered if he'd possibly been kicked out of the Magic Circle and like some errant practitioner of The Force had succumbed to the Dark Side. The fu**er.