Arrest Warrants Issued for 17 People in $1M California Apple Store Theft Ring

[macgabe]

Let me guess, Find My iPhone?

 

[DeepIn2U]

Bring back hanging.

A bit extreme no?

Not everyone crawling around in an air duct has finesse!

Lmao! lumber like rubber. That bounce.

The video timeline is confusing and no audio.

 

[Piggie]

Remember as the article says this costs the consumer.

Just imagine how much Apple would reduce their prices if none of these thefts happened

 

[joueboy]

One million more like five thousand dollars worth. Well I guess it's better to say the retail value of stolen items it's more news worthy. But whatever it is they're catching these stupid theft I'm surprised it took them awhile considering all the technology that comes with those devices. Pretty much those theft realizes that the stuff they stole are bricks and they just hit themselves on the head. Funny how these things mostly happen in California I don't now what's up with that state.

 

[Tech198]

They were caught when police asked Johnny Appleseed to Find My Friend.

One million more like five thousand dollars worth. Well I guess it's better to say the retail value of stolen items it's more news worthy.

It would be because technically no one has "purchased" them yet

 

[GeekishlyGreek]

A million dollars? They must’ve stolen nearly a dozen Apple products! Maybe even one or two more!

Hahaha!! I know what you mean! The bit that makes me laugh is that they try and downplay the "cost California business owners millions" bit by following it up with "and ultimately lead to consumers paying the cost". (are they suggesting that the only reason that Apple are overcharging us for iPhones is because of robberys like this, and that now they have caught the culprits, prices will start coming down, being passed onto the consumer???

Hahaha! Yeah, pull the other one! (they must think we were born yesterday!)

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Ok I did doesn’t throw up anything about it being tied to an Apple store though.

It's done in all busy department stores where they sell cellphones and Apple is the main target of that because it is full of people looking at iPhones all day.

 

[2010mini]

Serious question..... are the display models locked out of being able to be registered on Apple’s servers by anyone else? Thereby making them useless?

 

[danny842003]

Serious question..... are the display models locked out of being able to be registered on Apple’s servers by anyone else? Thereby making them useless?

Pretty sure Apple can lock out any phone if the serial number is reported stolen.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

It is interesting how lax the security seems at every Apple store. By design, of course. Do they still allow you to order things online, walk in, take it off the shelf and then just walk out?

I don’t know about this, but I can walk into an Apple Store, pick up an item off the shelf, scan and pay with iPhone, and walk out of the store without talking to anyone. I actually love this and can’t wait for this option to spread to other stores.

Can’t wait for a store like that old IBM commercial where a guy walks through the store and it’s played off as if they’re shoplifting. They walk through the exit door and a bunch of lights scan them. A security guard walks up all serious like, then smiles and hands the shopper their receipt.

 

[George Bailey]

There are also a scam where a girl goes in an Apple Store. She tells [sic] customers if she can borrow their phone because hers is not working and she needs to make a desperate call.

Is this just some story you've heard? What good would that do? The phone will be useless.

 

[Gix1k]

Some dummy thought Apple didn't know the serial # of those devices and as sooooooon as they touched the Internet, Apple knew where they were. Had I unknowingly bought one of these devices, I'd tell who sold it to me as soon as I was asked.

 

[jamezr]

I am glad they were caught of course. I am glad so many different agencies worked together to catch the thieves.

But also kinda curious how many other crimes are not solved that maybe could use a little of the effort they put into solving this one?
High profile cases get a lot of attention and anything Apple related is sure to be high profile.
I wonder how many assaults, rapes hold ups could use this type of effort?

 

[mazz0]

What does Apple have on display that's any use when stolen? Phones, Watches, iPads and Macs can all be remotely locked. What are the thieves doing to get around this?

 

[barkomatic]

I don’t know about this, but I can walk into an Apple Store, pick up an item off the shelf, scan and pay with iPhone, and walk out of the store without talking to anyone. I actually love this and can’t wait for this option to spread to other stores.

Can’t wait for a store like that old IBM commercial where a guy walks through the store and it’s played off as if they’re shoplifting. They walk through the exit door and a bunch of lights scan them. A security guard walks up all serious like, then smiles and hands the shopper their receipt.

Which is very odd. There are $3K speakers sitting on the shelf at my local Apple store and I assume at Apple stores around the country. I'm surprised that a snatch and grab thief wouldn't focus on expensive accessories that likely can't be tracked or locked.

 

[JRose]

You’d think the display models only would have a kill switch of some sort and could be remotely turned into a brick.

They do. All the displays have custom versions of iOS and MacOS. When the devices get out of range of the Apple Store WIFI, they are bricked with activation lock.

 

[MoreRumors?]

I've been in one Apple store that had 2 state police officers milling inside and the other stores had no security guards or police officer.

 

[WarHeadz]

Today it seems more and more younger people think that they can just take what they want because they don't have it - and they don't want to have a job, either.

Yeah, I’m sure “back in your day” nobody ever stole anything. This is a brand new problem.
[doublepost=1538143310][/doublepost]

You can only get charged for burglary if you break into a marijuana dispensary but every other location you're good to go.

Interesting that mr. “don’t tread on me” has a problem with marijuana dispensaries...

 

[ravenstar]

I strikes me as as strange that there were people suggesting the Australian hacker should be hired to improve security, but no one is defending these thieves. How are the consequences of their actions any different?

 

[cmaier]

I strikes me as as strange that there were people suggesting the Australian hacker should be hired to improve security, but no one is defending these thieves. How are the consequences of their actions any different?

They broke windows.

 

[shplock]

Effectively trapping customers along with the criminals...BRILLIANT!

You just created a scary situation where they just grab and go during business hours to a full blown hostage situation...BRILLIANT!

Except that special forces would quickly mash the criminals to pieces before they can call out for their mums.
[doublepost=1538153905][/doublepost]

They allegedly kept doing it, so one would think they monetized their efforts.

Or more likely that they are just that stupid. After all Einstein said that the definition of stupidity was doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results each time.
[doublepost=1538154092][/doublepost]

Seems rather convoluted, why not just start with somebody in the street?
Any links to this actually being a thing?



As a customer you expect to pay for the cost of doing business, this is exactly how everything else in the world works.

Not how it should happen. Businesses get away with enough as it is from pathetic customer service to ripping us customers off, even Apple are at it. Perhaps they should lower their prices and not be so dam greedy. Maybe then their devices won't be as attractive to steal.
[doublepost=1538154533][/doublepost]

When others resort to calling thieves as animals vs the people they are something so VERY wrong in society. Here are a number of factors that may have led or directed some or all these individuals to commit these or other crimes. Their not killing people, eating people, sexually assualting or raping people - these I’d classify as animals. Either way people have rights too even criminals ... it’s not for them but it’s to those of us that live, thrive and contribute to society, learn from our mistakes and grow to keep ALL of us from falling down to dark times.

Have you not read the bible, Shakespeare or even Lord of The Flies? All I’ve said is pretty much explained in each.

Yes we want justice served yet don’t let yourself become closer to them by classifying them as animals when you really know nothing about them beyond the crime committed. After all this IS a crime ring which shows some form of planning or intelligence to plan and has. Even going on for long.

So are you trying to justify what they do? That because they stole and did not rape that makes it ok? That because we should automatically think they stole because they come from a broken home? Lots of people come from the same backgrounds or have the same problems yet they do not turn to crime.
In the end there are virtually no excuses as to why they steal or do any other form of crime(let us not forget that because they steal it does not mean that is all they do, they could be involved in drugs as well - hence why they steal to fund their habits).
The choices are on them and the consequences are on them, not my fault or anyone else's.
They did the crime and should do the time...no excuses.
I have read all three of your quoted books and in the bible it says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, it also says that god has already judged mankind guilty, even before we are born as babies we are already guilty in his eyes.
So that tells us all we need to know. Lock them up and throw away the key, basically says so in the bible.

 

[w5jck]

I bet they caught one of them and offered him/her a lesser charge in exchange for ratting out his accomplices like Tim Allen did when he was caught trying to board an airplane with over a kilo of cocaine way back when. They sweated him until he gave up his accomplices who got life sentences in exchange for a mere 5 year sentence, then he got out of prison and became a grumpy, opinionated old curmudgeon on TV shows spewing out his garbage.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

I bet they caught one of them and offered him/her a lesser charge in exchange for ratting out his accomplices like Tim Allen did when he was caught trying to board an airplane with over a kilo of cocaine way back when. They sweated him until he gave up his accomplices who got life sentences in exchange for a mere 5 year sentence, then he got out of prison and became a grumpy, opinionated old curmudgeon on TV shows spewing out his garbage.

Jon Jones (MMA fighter) just did the same thing for a reduced suspension from USADA for doping.

 

[shplock]

I went to the only Apple Store in Seoul, South Korea and they have no anti-theft tethers on any merchandise. One of the geniuses that worked there was from Los Angeles, and coined it as a "different experience"

Goes to show how the culture is different, and the store was always packed.

Knowing how brutal and harsh South Korean police/justice can be I would not dare steal, so I am not surprised lol

I am going to guess that Apple has this thing called insurance. That cost is passed on whether they are robbed or not. Some people have some crazy ideas of how Apple could stop the thieves. They simply don't care or try to stop them. It is a bit like what is called "defensive indifference" in baseball. What leaves the store is of no consequence that Apple will let them do it. There would never be a visible security presence or measures in an Apple store. It would ruin the experience.

Except that it harms Apple's image and that brings down the stock and loses Apple, a lot more than the cost of the devices or their insurance.
PLus insurance goes up when you have to make claims, even as a business that is true.
So in the end the customer ends up paying more each year on average.
Letting the criminal get away with it is and for image and bad for business.

 

[truthertech]

It is interesting how lax the security seems at every Apple store. By design, of course. Do they still allow you to order things online, walk in, take it off the shelf and then just walk out?

That's some kind of internet myth. You've never been able to do that.