This is the brazen moment a sneaky customer stole a smartphone from under the nose of a sleeping cashier.

The alleged thief was caught on camera holding a banknote as she entered the corner store in Taguig City in Metro Manila, the Philippines, around midnight on November 14.

She approached the counter hoping to buy grocery items when she noticed that the clerk, Roselyn Campos, had fallen asleep at her station while watching a video on her phone, which was still propped up and playing a movie.

Seeing an opportunity, the customer looked around to ensure the coast was clear before carefully extracting the device and running away with Roselyn still unconscious.

When the shopkeeper awoke, she found that her hard-earned gadget was missing.

Roselyn said: 'I was just watching movies, I didn't realise I had dozed off. I had no idea that my phone was about to be stolen.'

Bizarrely, the thief still went undetected despite Roselyn's co-worker being awake at the time.

Shop employee James Mananghaya said: 'I was off to the side, below the counter charging my phone and playing games. I also didn't notice because everything happened so fast.'

Roselyn said she had saved up for nine months to buy the brand-new phone which cost her 9,000 PHP (around 157 USD).

She reported the theft to local authorities and posted CCTV footage on social media hoping to find the suspected criminal.

Since the woman's face was clearly captured, other residents were able to quickly pinpoint her home in neighbouring district of Ususan.

Local council officials later confirmed the information, identifying the alleged thief as Joy Adeva, also known by her nickname of 'Daday'.

They also revealed that Joy had faced similar complaints before.

Chief council officer Arthur Reyes said: 'She has other records of theft. Last October 12, she also stole a neighbour's clothes hanging on the clothesline. The neighbour was a policeman. We are currently processing her case.'

However, when officials trooped to Joy's residence to detain her, they only found her parents, who claimed she no longer lived there. They further claimed they had no clue where she currently stays.

Still, Roselyn held hope that justice will be served.

She said: 'I hope she returns my phone. I hope the police find and jail her so she can't steal from anyone else.'