Crime blotter: actress Sean Young accused of Mac theft, California Apple Store thefts mult...
Authorities in California are hoping to finally catch the thieves who they say are responsible for this summer's series of Apple Store robberies throughout California. That and more in this week's Apple crime blotter.
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, the latest in Apple-related crime stories:
The most recent thefts, in Bakersfield on August 1 and in Roseville August 14, were caught on video, with a published screen cap above. Another theft, at a Verizon store in Santa Clarita, notched five iPhones.
He was charged with grand larceny, attempted grand larceny, criminal possession of a forged instrument and offering a false instrument for filing. Barbosa was also hit with additional charges alleging that he forged documents to make it appear he earned more money at previous jobs in order to finagle a higher salary at the MTA. He has pled not guilty.
The investigation was conducted by the "El Dorado Task Force," which consisted of representatives of ICE, Homeland Security, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
The Macs held much of the footage for the film, although they were backed up. Young this week returned the computers, claiming she had grabbed the wrong ones, the New York Post said.
Update: The official Twitter account for the "Charlie Boy" film, stated on late August 18 that "Sean Young returned the computers and all here wish her well."
A similar app, called Vigilante, was briefly available on the App Store last year but was pulled, after police complained that it would interfere with their work.
"It was a dumb idea," she told police. "My boyfriend told me we could sell it."
Zimmerman's reaction? "We have to support our senior citizens so they don't have to steal phones on their fixed incomes."
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The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, the latest in Apple-related crime stories:
California Apple Store thefts continue as police seek leads
None of the numerous Apple Store thefts that have taken place this year throughout California have been solved, but police are stepping up their efforts to find leads. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, authorities in that state "are asking the public to help them zero in on a group of thieves" who they believe are responsible for at least some of the thefts. Tipsters contacting Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.The most recent thefts, in Bakersfield on August 1 and in Roseville August 14, were caught on video, with a published screen cap above. Another theft, at a Verizon store in Santa Clarita, notched five iPhones.
New York transit official accused of buying nearly $60,000 worth of iPhones with public money
The former chief procurement official for the MTA, the agency that oversees the New York subway system, has been arrested and charged with using the agency's money to buy $60,000 worth of iPhones. According to The New York Post, Angel Barbosa in 2016 spent $58,153.57 of public funds on 63 iPhones, which he allegedly "handed to a partner to sell." Most of the iPhones were ultimately activated in other countries.He was charged with grand larceny, attempted grand larceny, criminal possession of a forged instrument and offering a false instrument for filing. Barbosa was also hit with additional charges alleging that he forged documents to make it appear he earned more money at previous jobs in order to finagle a higher salary at the MTA. He has pled not guilty.
12 hit with federal charges in iPhone-related fraud ring
The federal government has charged 12 people for their participation in a scheme in which the conspirators allegedly "perpetrated a wide-ranging scheme to obtain valuable, new electronic devices -- primarily iPhones, but also iPads, tablets, and watches -- at others' expense," according to a press release from Immigration and Customers Enforcement. The conspirators, through a combination of buying info on the dark web and hacking into accounts, obtained more than 1,200 devices, worth over $1 million, including iPhones, iPads and watches.The investigation was conducted by the "El Dorado Task Force," which consisted of representatives of ICE, Homeland Security, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
Sean Young accused of stealing computers
Actress Sean Young, along with her son, has been accused of stealing a pair of Apple MacBook Pros from a film production company in Queens, N.Y, According to NBC New York. Young, who starred in such movies as "No Way Out," "Blade Runner," and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," is alleged to have taken the computers from the offices of the company, which had fired her from a movie months earlier.The Macs held much of the footage for the film, although they were backed up. Young this week returned the computers, claiming she had grabbed the wrong ones, the New York Post said.
Update: The official Twitter account for the "Charlie Boy" film, stated on late August 18 that "Sean Young returned the computers and all here wish her well."
Questions raised about App Task Force, or "Uber For Snitching"
An App Store app called App Task Force, which is aimed at making it easier for users to call the police to report suspicious activity, is raising concerns from civil libertarians about its potential for racial profiling. According to The Outline the app, which has launched in Louisiana, "could not only streamline racial profiling of the people the users report, but also allows police to track the GPS coordinates of its users."A similar app, called Vigilante, was briefly available on the App Store last year but was pulled, after police complained that it would interfere with their work.
Fake "Citizen's Arrest" leads to iPhone theft in U.K.
A man had his iPhone and wallet stolen, and was also "punched and bitten," after a bogus "citizen's arrest" inside a train station in London. According to Metro, the assailants claimed they were performing a citizen's arrest before they robbed and attacked the man.Woman receives iPhone by mistake, sells it
A woman who mistakenly received an iPhone X in the mail decided to sell it- and when the rightful purchaser found out, the seller was arrested. According to MLive, the phone was meant for the person who had formerly lived at that address. The rightful owner found the Facebook listing for the phone, and when clicking the woman's name, saw familiar pictures of her old house. The woman, who also had an outstanding warrant for retail fraud, was arrested and charged with larceny by conversion."It was a dumb idea," she told police. "My boyfriend told me we could sell it."
What to do after discovering your newly-purchased MacBook is stolen
A poster on the r/Apple subreddit discovered that the MacBook they had purchased via PayPal was in fact stolen, and under remote management. Advice from the redditors included retaining all messages and paperwork related to the sale, opening a dispute with PayPal, and possibly notifying police.iPhone stolen from Connecticut political candidate
Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, a candidate for lieutenant governor in Connecticut, recently had her iPhone stolen during a voter registration event. According to Connecticut Post, the phone was taken by a senior citizen who was there to register to vote.Zimmerman's reaction? "We have to support our senior citizens so they don't have to steal phones on their fixed incomes."
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Comments
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-bait-truck-norfolk-southern-apology-20180810-story.html
This is fine.
Beautiful. Evidence enough that public servants are “self-servants” first and foremost and that almost nothing provided by government can be done cheaper or better than by the private sector.
The appropriation of the MBPs may have been an accident or not, and people may have 'had it in for her' or not.
I'd want credible third-party confirmation before forming a conclusion either way.
Police and Apple need to be more proactive in arresting these thieves. These are gangs operating with seeming impunity.
Maybe start with iPhone and iPad demos that can't be turned off mechanically but need a signal from Apple. The phone would auto-lock when pulled from the table cable, and the ability to initiate AirPlane mode would be disabled. This would allow FMi to be more affective.
Former Blackwater-types posing as retail specialists would be fun, but that's more fantasy than reality.
Firearms could pose a threat to customers but putting a 1911A in a crook's ear has some effectiveness.
Buying merchandise you had no reason to suspect is/was stolen would be a real downer. Much like receiving counterfeit currency, there's seldom an upside.
It's a bit difficult to judge. She certainly developed a reputation, but so often such "reputations" in the movie industry aren't really about the person who bears it.
Then again, she has some "interesting" beliefs that may make it harder for some people to work with her.
I was worried it was going to be the usual thing about a celebrity on a downward spiral getting caught shoplifting.
That entire article really irritates me, at least in the aspect that police need to apologize for setting up a sting operation.
Some people complain about showing the faces of juveniles. There can be some ground for complaints depending on the circumstances.
Otherwise, unless entrapment is employed, more power to the police. People don't understand the definition of entrapment as upheld by SCOTUS and cry 'foul'. I remember when 60 Minutes aired a segment on this tactic (I don't recall the agency involved).
In some instances, thieves burglarized trucks while they were driven down the street. No entrapment involved or required.
I'm all for any and all legal, pro-active measures to catch crooks, as appropriate for various circumstances.
I agree with everything but it being reckless. It may be a violation of journalistic ethics or procedure or some such.
Reckless would be posting this pic if it weren't a frame of video of a burglary from an Apple Store, or if they got the frame from an unknown, unvetted source, or pulled a random frame from somewhere on the 'net.
Yes, there definitely should have been both a caption and attribution of some nature.