I’m amazed Molly Mae and Tommy have only been burgled once… their videos make it easy for thieves, says security expert

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THIEVES stole £800k of designer gear from Love Island stars Molly Mae and Tommy Fury after cutting alarm wires and ripping out the safe in a profess­ional hit, police fear.

The pair’s £1.3million pad, was targeted while they were 200 miles away in London at her Beauty Works Christmas launch.

I’m amazed Molly Mae and Tommy have only been burgled once… their videos make it easy for thieves, says security expert Michael Fraser

The raiders are thought to have disabled the security system before sneaking into the luxury rented apartment, ripping out the safe and fleeing with an £800,000 haul of handbags and jewellery

Molly-Mae and boxer Tommy, both 22, have been left “shaken up” by the raid and sources say they will never return to the property.

It’s believed the burglars had watched a string of videos Molly-Mae has posted on her Instagram since the pair moved into the stunning flat in Hale, Manchester, last year.

These showed its huge balcony and bifold doors, which the burglars are believed to have smashed through, plus how the flat backs onto a public park, where it is thought they fled.

It comes as security experts warn celebrities are increasingly being targeted by malicious mobsters who follow their lives online to know when to strike.

Security expert Michael Fraser, 60, who admits to being a burglar in his teens, warns couples who showcase their lives on the internet are easy targets for opportunistic criminals.

Molly-Mae and Tommy are said to be devastated. A source said: “They loved living there but they think they’ll have to move on now. It just doesn’t feel safe.

“They’re trying to remain as strong as they can and they now just hope to get past it.” Vowing to get through the ordeal, Molly-Mae posted on her Instagram yesterday: “Smile through the storm.”

The couple moved into the plush apartment in June last year intend­ing it to be a six-month lease but stayed longer due to the pandemic.

Delighting her 1.6million YouTube subscribers, Molly-Mae gave a guided tour of their new three-bed pad, walking from room to room.

In her most recent post to her 6.1million Instagram followers — uploaded less than two weeks ago — she proudly shows off the apartment after she had it professionally decorated for Halloween.

It clearly displays the large balcony doors that lead into the lounge — which she had draped in a giant pumpkin wreath to surprise Tommy on his return trip from the US.

‘IT DOESN’T FEEL SAFE’  

It shows the layout of the large open-plan living room, which had been covered in cauldrons and fake skeletons, plus the kitchen area.

The couple had previously told fans they asked to buy the flat after they “fell in love with it” but the owners declined.

In April, Molly-Mae had revealed she was too “terrified” to stay in her home alone and had to enlist the help of 24-hour security.

On her YouTube channel, she said: “I now have to pay a lot of money a month for an extremely high security for the apartment.

“I had a few incidents, I just don’t really feel safe anywhere any more because I just feel like no matter how much you try and keep your life private, when you’re in the public eye, your life is never private.”

The influencer has a staggering collection of jewellery and designer clothing and regularly posts pictures of it on Instagram.

Just two months before the burglary fans had expressed concerns that they could be targeted.

In August it was revealed Molly-Mae had treating herself to a £37,400 Cartier bracelet after landing a contract with Pretty Little Thing. Snaps showed £125k of jewellery on her wrists.

Recalling how US reality star Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint of £8million of jewellery in Paris in 2016, a worried fan warned: “I love Molly-Mae but I would honestly be so terrified that some sort of Kim K kidnap and robbery would take place with that amount of jewellery on me.”

Another said: “I beg the poor girl never gets robbed but she has more than my year’s salary on one wrist.”

At the Beauty Works event, Molly-Mae — wearing £95k jewellery on her wrists plus a rose gold Patek Phillipe watch — did a Q&A with followers on Instagram Live.

She then tagged herself at London’s Corinthia Hotel, giving her followers a glimpse into her luxury life but unwittingly tipping off criminals to their whereabouts.

Molly sports an impressive collection of jewellery in this snap
Molly’s impressive clothes and shoe collection

Security expert Michael says the couple are leaving a trail of clues to their personal details online.

He said: “I’m amazed they’ve only had one burglary, because they would be queuing up to rob these people.”

More and more models, actors and singers are raising their reputation and boosting their earnings through likes and clicks on Instagram.

Michaels says: “The problem is, all of these reality stars have to have the attention from the fans. And the sad fact is, everything they do is on the internet.

“For criminals, it’s exactly the same as internet shopping.” In the past decade, criminals have increasingly used social media to trace celebs’ movements and strike while they are away from home.

In 2009, socialite Paris Hilton was preyed upon by a teen gang known as the Bling Ring who used Facebook and Twitter to see if she was out.

‘INTERNET SHOPPING FOR CRIMINALS’ 

They raided her £4million Holly­wood home and two months later, returned to swipe £1.2millon of cash and jewellery.

In the following years stars Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Christina Milian were all snooped on online and their homes burgled by another gang.

A Los Angeles Police spokeswoman said in 2018: “At first, we were under the impression these burglaries were being done at random.

“Come to find out, to our surprise, they were very well planned out and they had stalked the location.”

In May this year, just a month after Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock publicly announced her engagement to footballer Andre Grey, her £40,000 ring was taken from her home.

The pop star was able to buy back the beloved sparkler from a pawnbroker who contacted her after unwittingly buying it.

But others haven’t been so lucky. Former Tottenham player Jan Vertonghen’s family were traumatised when they were robbed at knifepoint at their London home in 2019.

The footballer was in Germany on Champions League duty when four hooded men raided the house, terrifying his wife and two children.

Michael says it used to be just professional criminals who stalked their targets before robbing. But now technology has made it easier for part-time crooks to do so too.

He said: “A burglar can go around the place, have a look, have a look if it’s alarmed and have a look at the valuables in it.

“Can they get in easily enough? What’s the escape route? What can they take and go? “Thanks to Street View you can do that.

“Thanks to reality stars, you can have a tour of that building and you can have a look.”

Pictured is security expert Michael Fraser
The balcony where the burglars are thought to have entered her property

Celebrities’ penchants for posting lavish holidays and nights outs is playing into the hands of career and petty criminals alike who are monitoring celebs’ social media profiles to see when they are away.

Michael said: “Today’s crook is very, very careful. He doesn’t want to confront anybody. Because it’s looked at as more of a serious crime if it’s assaulting them or pushing them over.

While influencers share every aspect of their lives to please their huge fan bases, Michael says it is possible to stay safe by being vague.

After being robbed in Paris, Kim Kardashian no longer posts Instagram stories that share videos and pics instantly with fans.

She said: “I learned from when I was robbed that people knew my every move and that changed the things that I post.”

Now Michael hails her as the perfect example of a celebrity playing it safe by “skating on the surface of what she’s doing”, being vague with details and timelines.

SOCIAL MEDIA ‘MAKING YOU VULNERABLE’ 

But he warns ordinary people – not just celebs – should be worried about the phenomenon, with more and more crooks trawling the web for opportunities to rob.

And many of us are happy to invite these criminals into our lives by approving online friend requests. He said: “We want as many friends as we can get.

“So when that burglar says ‘can I be your friend?’ they just think ‘yeah, of course’. Being your friend gives you access to the history of you. Because all the things you put there, he can go through.

“The next thing they want is to know when you’re on holiday. They don’t even need to talk to you.” And the worst security no-no is showing off about your possessions.

He said: “Don’t do it. Because you’re making yourself more vulnerable.” A representative for Molly-Mae said: “Molly is doing well considering the cir­cum­stances.

“It has been a very distressing time but she is trying to be as positive as possible.” Last night a police spokesman said enquiries are ongoing and no arrests have been made.

  • Follow Michael on Twitter @stoptheburglars

Molly shows off some of her Cartier jewellery on Instagram
The star often shows off her jewellery on social media