Robbers are hijacking phones, bank accounts in the Gold Coast, Wrigleyville, DePaul, Chicago police say – CWB Chicago

Each time, “multiple” offenders strike up conversations with their victim. They then take the victim’s phone or wallet by force or deception and run away, then empty out the Venmo, CashApp, Zelle, and other banking accounts. Some crews who simply “borrow” a victim’s phone rather than steal it will delete the banking app from the victim’s phone before returning the device. That way, the victim will not receive any notifications about the transaction until it’s too late.