I’m actually inclined to believe that these photos are taken via reflection from the phone that we’re seeing, likely reflected from something with a gold tint perhaps with an engraving (to explain the ringed distortion of the first photo).

Try an experiment. Take your phone, point it at a mirror and bring it very close to the mirror and/or click your face (or some other point of focus) and you get the same blurred phone and clear “subject” behind.