Many iPhone thefts, the girlfriend of a mob boss, and an Apple Store: The latest from the ...

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In this latest Apple crime roundup, iPhones get stolen in a variety of ways, the girlfriend of a mob boss asks for her phone back from the police, and an Apple Store gets hit for a pile of accessories.




The latest in an occasional AppleInsider feature: A worldwide look at the Apple-related crime:

Two plead guilty in iPhone delivery scam

Two of three defendants arrested for their parts in an iPhone delivery-and-theft scheme have agreed to plead guilty. According to the Nashua Telegraph, the scam entailed stealing identities, opening accounts with Sprint, having iPhones and iPads delivered to the homes of the victims, and stealing the packages.

The conspirators were caught after one of the victims caught them taking a package from her home. The scam, police said, stole 200 identities and gained them $60,000 worth of electronics; a third defendant has not plead guilty and will go to trial.

Police chief's iPhone stolen

In another iPhone-stolen-from-the-mail story, the victim was a local police chief. According to Philly Voice Michael Chitwood, the police superintendent in Upper Darby, PA., recently ordered a new iPhone 7 to be delivered to police headquarters. Somewhere along the way, the box was tampered with, the phone itself taken and replaced by bubble wrap, and a note left that stated "Boss, your new phone came today."

Chitwood, a familiar figure in the Philadelphia-area media who is known for his law-and-order style, took it in stride. "It's a theft. It happens," he told the website. "But it's kind of funny."

iPad stolen from sleeping man

A Brooklyn man was woken up this week by a thief who entered his room through a broken window. According to the Brooklyn Paper, the thief grabbed the man's cell phone and iPad, and then fled.

iPhone stolen from roller rink

In a story that straddles two different eras, an iPhone was reported stolen from a roller rink in Michigan. According to the Oakland Press, the suspect grabbed the phone as it charged on a table, and then left with it.

74-year-old accused of stealing iPhone at casino with his cane

A senior citizen has been charged after he was caught on security video using his walking stick to steal an iPhone 8 Plus from the floor of a casino in Pennsylvania. According to the Times Leader newspaper, the phone fell of its owner's pocket to the ground as he played at a slot machine; the 74-year-old man was seen on security video using the stick to slide the phone over to himself.

When questioned, the 74-year-old's wife said she had found the phone in a women's bathroom and returned it to lost-and-found.

iPhone thief caught in sting

A man in Massachusetts who had stolen a woman's iPhone from a McDonalds reached out to the victim and agreed to return it for $100- but when he showed up for the exchange, police were there to arrest him. According to Wareham Week, the phone was recovered, and the man was charged with receiving stolen property over $250.

Mob boss' partner wants iPhones back from Irish government

The former girlfriend of a notorious mob boss in Ireland has asked a court to return to her several seized luxury items, including a pair of iPhones. According to The Independent, the haul includes money, watches, and two iPhones, one of which contains photographs of her child as a young baby. The items were seized during a drug investigation, the newspaper said.

Apple Store theft nets power adapters,USB cables, keyboard

Robberies of Apple Stores usually involve the theft of iPhones, iPads and computers. But a recent theft at an Apple Store location in Connecticut was much more unorthodox. According to the Greenwich Free Press, the June theft by a 37-year-old woman at an Apple Store in Greenwich netted "power adapters,USB cables, and magic keyboard with a total value of a few hundred dollars." The woman was arrested and charged with Larceny 6.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,038member
    I enjoy this weekly crime roundups. It's an interesting phenomenon and a testament to Apple's popularity that we can have so many of these crazy stories about Apple products being stolen.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 8
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,525member
    In other news, Samsung is hiring individuals willing to steal their devices.
    bageljoeymacseekerlamboaudi4watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 8
    bageljoeybageljoey Posts: 2,008member
    In other news, Samsung is hiring individuals willing to steal their devices.
    Yeah, but knowing how those “endorsements” work for Sammy, the crook would take a Samsung leave a note about how much they love Samsung—and then take an iPhone for themselves!😂😂
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 8
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    With FInd My IPhone and Activation Lock, why steal an iPhone?  What do the thiefs do with them?   Are they sold for parts?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 8
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    People are always comparing the iPhone to the Samsung Galaxy and other Android phones. AppleInsider has many comparison and which-is-better shootouts over cameras, speed, usability, features, etc. How about AppleInsider doing a deep dive on the desirability and profitability of smartphone brands for criminals? If a thief breaks into a home and sees an iPhone and a Samsung phone on a table but can only take one, which phone will the thief take? Which phone offers the thief the most ROI when fenced? Which brand is preferred by the criminal community and why? How many Samsung phones are stolen every year? Any Chinese S9 knockoffs on the market? How big is the black market for Android phones? We have read reports of entire truckloads of iPhones being stolen. Has a truckload of Galaxy S8s or S9s ever been stolen?
    edited July 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 8
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    With FInd My IPhone and Activation Lock, why steal an iPhone?  What do the thiefs do with them?   Are they sold for parts?
    Well for one thing, thieves are always masquerading as legitimate iPhone owners who “bought” their phone but can’t activate it. I’m guessing this happens at least ten times a day on the Apple Discussion Forums. A new user is seeking ways to get around Activation Lock because their “little brother” changed the passcode and they don’t know what it is. When told their only option is to restore the device but they also need the Apple ID and Password to remove Activation Lock the device or to take the device to an Apple service provider with the original receipt they just disappear.
    GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 8
    Almost everyone outside of Apple says that iPhones are not much better than the less costlier Android smartphones and that no smartphone should cost close to $1000. Apple is always being condemned for ripping consumers off with their high-priced products. Apple will never get any respect as long as their products remain the most expensive tech products available to consumers. It's really a shame Apple hasn't been accepted by now for selling quite decent products to consumers.
  • Reply 8 of 8
    RalphabitsRalphabits Posts: 2unconfirmed, member
    The 74 year old cracks me up. I live in Las Vegas, if you're going to steal something I can think of a million places easier to do it than a casino. They watch everything constantly with a million cameras. Really bad idea.
    watto_cobra
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