Porch Pirate Criminal Network Stole Thousands of iPhones in the U.S.

[switz]

We know the "window" of time that both FedEx and UPS come into our subdivision. Don't pay for early delivery out here in the county, there is only ONE truckload of packages coming out with ALL speeds of delivery on board. And yes, laptops were just left at the door as they were not shipped by Apple with Signature Required. DHL is a real pain in the backside and Apple used them for several shipments.

 

[CarAnalogy]

I’ve had it before where a FedEx driver takes a picture of their shoes or a blank wall or some other nonsense, and marks the package as “delivered” even though they were never even near my address. I’ve had them attempt to leave signature required packages without getting my signature, packages which were far more valuable than any iPhone. I’ve had them attempt to deliver packages when I had a clear vacation hold on the account, so they would be left outside for porch pirates for days on end. I’ve also had packages delivered torn open with merchandise missing. I say this as a fact, FedEx are crooks.

But but but what about the commercials where the guy delivers the ring to the wedding or defeats the rattlesnake?!

Same problem as the Siri commercials (and Siri itself) and a lot of commercials in general lately. I'll put up with cutesy once you've shown basic competence. Cutesy and incompetent at the same time is a very bad combination.

 

[verdi1987]

Yes, unless the company you're buying from pays extra for signature-required delivery service. But doing so cuts into their profits so unfortunately a lot of times they don't.


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I suppose companies like Apple have calculated that it’s cheaper to replace an occasional stolen package than require signatures on all of them.

 

[verdi1987]

I think the biggest hurdle is the capacity of the delivery services. Some drivers handle several hundred parcels per day. Requiring delivery to a human would require a much larger workforce. As it stands now, sometimes the couriers claim attempted delivery when they in fact haven’t because they ran out of time.

 

[awshucks]

Who exactly would want to steal an iPhone 16e, as pictured?

 

[switz]

Those with a stealing mind set will steal and then fence the product for cash, probably at a local pawn shop....

 

[MrRom92]

Whoever steals an iPhone will just part it out.

 

[Chuckeee]

Who exactly would want to steal an iPhone 16e, as pictured?

Heck where I live they have caught people trying to steal 50 pound bag of dog food.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

What's up with people advocating for death and violence in here?

 

[Mizouse]

They’re not just stolen from porches. They’re intercepted at the distribution center or something.

The iPhone 14PM I preordered was stolen twice.

For the first delivery UPS actually attempted but since I wasn’t home they brought it back to the distribution center. I can confirm the driver had it from my security cameras. Then it was stolen. The tracking showed it was loaded on the truck for 2nd delivery attempt but the driver said it wasn’t on the truck.

Apple sent another 14PM, but that one didn’t even make it to my house. Tracking showed it was loaded onto the truck but the driver told me it was never loaded on.

Apple wanted me to wait like a month before sending a 3rd replacement in which I decided against it and cancelled my order.

For the 15PM I have now I decided to pick it up at the Apple Store.

 

[ghanwani]

Mail theft is a thing in my neighborhood. Thieves steal the master key from the postman and empty out all mailboxes every night, including the ones holding parcels.

 

[mjs916]

So when they deliver them, they just dump them at the front door? If so, that seems like very crappy security. Here in the UK, whenever I get an expensive device ordered from EE, they provide me with a pin over SMS or in my DPD courier app that I have to provide to the driver, or they will not hand it over to me. And back to EE it goes, and they certainly won't leave it on the doorstep for anyone to steal, even if I ask them to.

This sounds good but what of you needed your phone replaced so could not receive SMS or access the courier app? Are there other options, not mobile device based to receive this PIN?

I like the idea but this sounds like a hassle if I broke my phone and didn’t have a spare.

 

[mjs916]

Mail theft is a thing in my neighborhood. Thieves steal the master key from the postman and empty out all mailboxes every night, including the ones holding parcels.

This has been going on in a friend’s nearby neighborhood. I live in an older house so my mail slot leads right into my dining room. Packages like this would not fit however.

 

[SebCohen]

What's up with people advocating for death and violence in here?

Dark humor. Google Jimmy Carr 🖖

 

[verdi1987]

Mail theft is a thing in my neighborhood. Thieves steal the master key from the postman and empty out all mailboxes every night, including the ones holding parcels.

Yeah, I saw a news segment about this. It’s a nationwide problem.

 

[rem2]

Last October I would have been a victim of this from UPS if not for seeing red flags from tracking and my iPhone being stashed behind a flower pot at one of my neighbors house. I retrieved my package immediately. And then, about an hour later, the UPS driver coming back to steal my package. The look on his face and his frantic actions trying to find the package were comical though.

 

[Phoneless]

I was almost a victim of theft last year. I ordered an Apple Studio Display (VESA) and had Apple Canada deliver it to my condo apartment. I learned from the concierge of my building (who happens to know me) that when FedEx delivered my package somebody approached the driver and tried to impersonate me. The driver refused to hand over the package and told the person that he only hands over packages to the concierge. The would-be thief then followed the FedEx driver into the building and tried to get the concierge to give the package to him by impersonating me. The concierge, of course, refused because he knew the thief was lying. When the concierge wouldn't surrender my monitor he went over his head and phoned the property manager (who as it happens does not know who I am) to order the concierge to hand it over. When the concierge was contacted by the property manager he told him it was all a scam. The concierge threatened to call the cops so the thief left in a hurry. All this happened in the 10 minutes or so before I came down to pick up the monitor.

The thief must have had inside info because no one knew about the delivery except Apple, FedEx and me.

 

[Crowbot]

My recent MBA delivered by UPS did not require a signature, but it shipped directly from Vietnam. I’m in California. Maybe the domestic shipments require signatures but not the ones coming directly from the factory. Dunno.

Well I've had stuff come directly from China but I still think it stops at some warehouse in the US. I can't imagine how many iPhones would fit in one of those 40 foot containers.

 

[tranceme]

I'm always confused on how criminals will come up with some master plans of stealing stuff. But, then get caught being complete morons.

 

[Crowbot]

I'm always confused on how criminals will come up with some master plans of stealing stuff. But, then get caught being complete morons.

Yes. It's usually because they didn't think through their plan. Everything is so interconnected these days that it's easy to find things...if you look.