Crime blotter: Stolen iPhone solves Florida fireman's slaying
Kourtney Kardashian's iPad goes missing, an iPhone was stolen from woman while she suffers seizure, and the killers of a fireman may have been caught thanks to his iPhone.
The Westfield Hornsby Apple Store in Australia
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, on the world of Apple-related crime:
According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, after Chris Randazzo was shot and killed in mid-October, the killers kept his iPhone.
Police used a combination of cellphone towers and license plate readers to catch three suspects, who have been arrested. They were also implicated in a different shooting earlier the same day.
Local news site Kent Online reports that the incident took place at a bus stop, and thieves also stole food from the woman, who told the press that the thieves can "go ahead and choke" on what they took.
According to Hollywood Life, Kourtney Kardashian revealed on a recent episode of her reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians that cash and an iPad were recently stolen from her home.
The News Journal says that the 19-year-old man was found lying in the parking lot nearby with a gunshot wound, with his pants missing.
Display Apple Watches in a UK Apple Store. (Photo: William Gallagher)
According to The Daily Mail, one of the thefts took place at the Westfield Hornsby Apple Store in New South Wales.
The Bellingham Herald reports that the purchaser immediately noticed that the money was labeled "for motion picture use only." was not genuine. This led to a pursuit, after which the argument continued, and the thief drove off, hitting the victim with his car door, although he also threw the iPhone.
The 22-year-old has been charged with suspicion of first-degree assault, hit and run accident with an injury, second-degree theft, first-degree robbery, forgery and third-degree malicious mischief.
According to KXAN, police believe the messages are phishing attempts, meant to help thieves unlock the phones that were stolen.
TC Palm says that the men were caught when they unable to verify the credit card information attached to the account. Both were charged with three counts of fraud, as well as further counts of unlawful use of a phone and fraudulent use of credit cards.
Have an Apple crime story for us? Email AppleInsider and tell us about it.
The Westfield Hornsby Apple Store in Australia
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, on the world of Apple-related crime:
Stolen iPhone helps solve killing of a firefighter
A South Florida firefighter was gunned down last month after he refused to unlock his iPhone for a group of thieves -- and that very iPhone appears to have led to the solving of his murder.According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, after Chris Randazzo was shot and killed in mid-October, the killers kept his iPhone.
Police used a combination of cellphone towers and license plate readers to catch three suspects, who have been arrested. They were also implicated in a different shooting earlier the same day.
iPad stolen from woman while she suffered a seizure
A woman in the UK had her iPad and other possessions stolen while she was suffering an epileptic seizure.Local news site Kent Online reports that the incident took place at a bus stop, and thieves also stole food from the woman, who told the press that the thieves can "go ahead and choke" on what they took.
iPad taken from home of Kourtney Kardashian
Among those who have had Apple items stolen in recent months is a member of the Kardashian family.According to Hollywood Life, Kourtney Kardashian revealed on a recent episode of her reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians that cash and an iPad were recently stolen from her home.
iPhone stolen, along with pants, from man who thought he was meeting a date
A man in Florida, arriving for a date with a woman he'd found online, instead met her and three male friends who attacked him. They shot him and stole his pants, with his wallet and iPhone in the pocket.The News Journal says that the 19-year-old man was found lying in the parking lot nearby with a gunshot wound, with his pants missing.
Apple Watches stolen in Australia were display models
A group of thieves stole what they thought were 17 Apple Watches from stores in multiple thefts, but they were actually worthless display models.Display Apple Watches in a UK Apple Store. (Photo: William Gallagher)
According to The Daily Mail, one of the thefts took place at the Westfield Hornsby Apple Store in New South Wales.
iPhone buyer used counterfeit money, hit victim with car
A man in the Bellingham, Washington, area arranged to buy an iPhone X via an online marketplace, but when the seller showed up for the transaction, the buyer used fake "movie money" instead of real cash.The Bellingham Herald reports that the purchaser immediately noticed that the money was labeled "for motion picture use only." was not genuine. This led to a pursuit, after which the argument continued, and the thief drove off, hitting the victim with his car door, although he also threw the iPhone.
The 22-year-old has been charged with suspicion of first-degree assault, hit and run accident with an injury, second-degree theft, first-degree robbery, forgery and third-degree malicious mischief.
iPhone theft victims receive strange messages on new phones
Dozens of attendees at the recent Austin City Limits music festival in Texas had their phones stolen -- and now, many of them have received suspicious text messages on their new replacement phones.According to KXAN, police believe the messages are phishing attempts, meant to help thieves unlock the phones that were stolen.
Men attempt to use stolen Apple Pay account at Walgreens
Two men in Port St. Lucie, Fla., were arrested in early October and charged with attempting to use the Apple Pay feature on someone else's iPhone to buy hundreds of dollars in gift cards at a Walgreens.TC Palm says that the men were caught when they unable to verify the credit card information attached to the account. Both were charged with three counts of fraud, as well as further counts of unlawful use of a phone and fraudulent use of credit cards.
Have an Apple crime story for us? Email AppleInsider and tell us about it.
Comments
I'm hoping for some more feel good stories again next week, where some of the criminals get to pay the ultimate price for their crimes. I want to see them six feet under.
The only stories where I don't feel sorry for the victim, is where somebody arranges to meet in person some totally random, unknown person through an online market place and then sell them their iPhone or whatever.
2. Never go home with women named “Nookie”.
So much hostility, from wanting to see the crooks dead, and ok with the suffering of some of the victims.
Last I checked, I didn't go around stealing people's iPhones or shooting them or scamming them. And yes, of course I wish to see violent criminals get what they deserve.
As for selling iPhones through craigslist and other places and doing personal meetups with unknown people, if that's people's style, then go for it.
I've heard and read about so many scams through there. I'm perfectly ok with getting a little less for a phone by selling it using other more secure methods where there is no chance of anything bad happening.
It's sad to think that an iPhone can be considered to have more value than a human life.
The incidents with the fireman and the lady suffering a seizure are really depressing.
People innocently, naively make bad decisions all the time. They don't deserve to be violently conned, robbed, or attacked be cause of poor judgement, or momentary lapse.
In short, as a human, you suck.